Natural disaster risk in Hamilton County, Indiana
Indiana · population 347,343 · FIPS 18057
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Hamilton County has a composite risk score of 88.8 out of 100 — higher than 88% of US counties. It ranks 5 of 92 in Indiana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are tornado, winter weather, lightning.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Hamilton County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 11 weeks in a row.
Drought in Hamilton 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 moderate 88.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $129.0 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 92.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 10.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 93.1 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Hamilton County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively high 96 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 91 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 83 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 80 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 73 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 84 |
| Drought | Relatively low 51 |
| Landslide | Very low 47 |
| Hurricane | Very low 25 |
| Wildfire | Very low 20 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Hamilton County
Federal declarations that designated Hamilton County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Hamilton 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 Hamilton County, Indiana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Hamilton County as relatively moderate, with a score of 88.8 out of 100 (higher than 88% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Hamilton County?
The hazards rated highest for Hamilton County are tornado (relatively high), winter weather (relatively high), lightning (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Hamilton County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Hamilton County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Hamilton County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Hamilton 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 Hamilton County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Hamilton County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 11 weeks in a row.
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