Natural disaster risk in Bartholomew County, Indiana
Indiana · population 82,160 · FIPS 18005
Overall: relatively low risk
Bartholomew County has a composite risk score of 70.9 out of 100 — higher than 70% of US counties. It ranks 20 of 92 in Indiana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are tornado, inland (riverine) flooding, winter weather.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Bartholomew County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 32 weeks in a row.
Drought in Bartholomew County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively low 70.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $33.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 75.6 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively low 23.1 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively high 78.5 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Bartholomew County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 87 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 70 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 57 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 83 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 73 |
| Hail | Relatively low 64 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 60 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 58 |
| Drought | Relatively low 50 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 48 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 45 |
| Wildfire | Very low 26 |
| Hurricane | Very low 21 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Bartholomew County
Federal declarations that designated Bartholomew County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Bartholomew County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3651-IN (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 15 Aug 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3651-IN | Emergency | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 15 Aug 2026 | No |
| EM-3641-IN | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 24 Jan 2026 | No |
| DR-4882-IN | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 22 Jul 2025 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Indiana, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Bartholomew County, Indiana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Bartholomew County as relatively low, with a score of 70.9 out of 100 (higher than 70% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Bartholomew County?
The hazards rated highest for Bartholomew County are tornado (relatively moderate), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Bartholomew County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Bartholomew County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Bartholomew County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Bartholomew County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3651-IN (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 15 Aug 2026.
Is Bartholomew County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Bartholomew County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 32 weeks in a row.
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