Natural disaster risk in Delaware County, Indiana
Indiana · population 111,870 · FIPS 18035
Overall: relatively low risk
Delaware County has a composite risk score of 76.3 out of 100 — higher than 76% of US counties. It ranks 15 of 92 in Indiana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are tornado, hail, inland (riverine) flooding.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Delaware County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 25 weeks in a row.
Drought in Delaware 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 76.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $33.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 75.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 49.3 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 82.4 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Delaware County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively high 90 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 75 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 74 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 65 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 82 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 56 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 49 |
| Drought | Relatively low 43 |
| Heat wave | Very low 35 |
| Landslide | Very low 33 |
| Hurricane | Very low 31 |
| Wildfire | Very low 21 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Delaware County
Federal declarations that designated Delaware County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Delaware County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4933-IN (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 25 Aug 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4933-IN | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 25 Aug 2026 | Yes |
| 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 |
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 Delaware County, Indiana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Delaware County as relatively low, with a score of 76.3 out of 100 (higher than 76% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Delaware County?
The hazards rated highest for Delaware County are tornado (relatively high), hail (relatively moderate), inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Delaware County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Delaware County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Delaware County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Delaware County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4933-IN (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 25 Aug 2026.
Is Delaware County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Delaware County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 25 weeks in a row.
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