Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Bartholomew County, IN

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
18005
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: Approved, expires 2030-02-04. Plan: Bartholomew County 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110414), approved 2025-02-05.

Since the plan was approved on 2025-02-05: 3 new hazard declarations (3 incidents): DR-4882-IN (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), EM-3641-IN (Severe Winter Storm), EM-3651-IN (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding).

NOAA Storm Events records since that date: 32 records (data through 2026-06-30).

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($20,424,129 a year), Tornado ($6,825,069) and Earthquake ($2,654,167).

Repetitive-loss flood properties now: FMA RL 2, SRL 4 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 31.

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

Status:
Approved, expires 2030-02-04
Plan:
Bartholomew County 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110414)
Approved:
2025-02-05
Days to expiry:
1,223

What changed since your last plan (approved 2025-02-05)

New federal declarations:
3 new hazard declarations (3 incidents): DR-4882-IN (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), EM-3641-IN (Severe Winter Storm), EM-3651-IN (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding)
Storm Events records since approval:
32 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 2, SRL 4 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 31
Repeat-flood change:
this release sets the baseline count.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryNotes
Bartholomew CountyCountyApproved, expires 2030-02-04Bartholomew County 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110414)2025-02-052030-02-041,223
Clifford townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-04Bartholomew County 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110414)2025-02-052030-02-041,223this jurisdiction approved 2025-07-16
Columbus cityCityApproved, expires 2030-02-04Bartholomew County 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110414)2025-02-052030-02-041,223this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-22
Edinburgh townTownApproved, expires 2029-04-18Shelby County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 109379)2024-04-192029-04-18931this jurisdiction approved 2024-06-04
Elizabethtown townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-04Bartholomew County 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110414)2025-02-052030-02-041,223this jurisdiction approved 2025-07-16
Hartsville townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-04Bartholomew County 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110414)2025-02-052030-02-041,223this jurisdiction approved 2025-07-16
Hope townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-04Bartholomew County 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110414)2025-02-052030-02-041,223this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-22
Jonesville townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-04Bartholomew County 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110414)2025-02-052030-02-041,223this jurisdiction approved 2025-05-22

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countStorm Events coverage note
1Inland FloodingRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$18,167,159$551,767$1,705,203$20,424,12960
2TornadoRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$4,190,415$1,309$2,633,346$6,825,0694
3EarthquakeRelatively LowRelatively Low$2,121,173n/a$532,994$2,654,167Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
4Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$970$82,716$943,357$1,027,0434
5Strong WindRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$167,631$7,310$586,072$761,014143Includes 10 High Wind records (a NOAA non-thunderstorm wind type, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
6Heat WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$8,012$2$677,691$685,7054
7HailRelatively LowRelatively Low$399,527$11,866$92,453$503,84551
8LightningRelatively LowRelatively Low$38,025n/a$184,573$222,5996
9DroughtRelatively LowRelatively Lown/a$170,918n/a$170,91812
10Winter WeatherRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$27,048$338$122,709$150,09636
11Ice StormRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$10,388n/a$136,761$147,1493
12WildfireVery LowVery Low$11,007$8$2,075$13,0890No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
13LandslideRelatively LowRelatively Low$419n/a$8,694$9,1130No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
14HurricaneVery LowVery Low$5,957$1,816$14$7,7870No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local wildfire and landslide records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami and volcanic activity. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 101 (Relatively Moderate, 86.5); tract 108 (Relatively Moderate, 84.1); tract 102 (Relatively Moderate, 83.4)
Hurricanetract 115 (Very Low, 35.7); tract 112 (Very Low, 32.2); tract 113 (Very Low, 30.8)
Landslidetract 110 (Relatively Moderate, 96.9); tract 115 (Relatively Low, 92.6); tract 111.02 (Relatively Low, 87.0)
Tornadotract 115 (Very High, 99.0); tract 101 (Very High, 96.5); tract 102 (Very High, 95.2)
Wildfiretract 113 (Relatively Low, 74.2); tract 114 (Relatively Low, 73.9); tract 104 (Relatively Low, 70.3)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 101 is Census Tract 101). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill4 records, 1996 to 2026 (4 zone-level)1 day to 4 days (median 2.5 days); 4 with a recorded value4 consecutive days, 1996-02-02 to 1996-02-05, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Wind chill: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0Temperature: in event narratives only (local data needed).
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)12 records, 2010 to 2024 (12 zone-level)22 days to 120 days (median 50 days); 4 with a recorded value120 days (about 3.9 months), 2012-06-12 to 2012-10-09, a run of 5 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)66 records, 1963 to 20260.75 in to 2 in (median 1 in); 66 with a recorded value2 in hail, 1993-08-01Hail, 2010-04-05, $500 property; crops not reported (2010 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Columbus city (14 records), Hope town (8 records), Jonesville town (2 records), Clifford town (1 record), Edinburgh town (1 record).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)4 records, 1997 to 2026 (4 zone-level)1 day to 2 days (median 2 days); 3 with a recorded value2 consecutive days, 2023-08-23 to 2023-08-24, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Heat index: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson0Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)3 records, 2000 to 2018 (3 zone-level)Ice Storm, 2018-11-14, $5,000 property; $0 crops (2018 dollars); NWS zone INZ064Countywide (zone-level records).Ice thickness: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)60 records, 1996 to 2026 (23 zone-level)Flood, 2008-06-05, $150,000,000 property; $150,000,000 crops (2008 dollars) (as recorded; larger than this county's annual agriculture value in the National Risk Index (the county or state extension service keeps crop loss records))Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Columbus city (5 records), Jonesville town (2 records), Clifford town (1 record). Zone-level records (23) apply countywide.Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)0Physical measure: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)6 records, 1996 to 2020Lightning, 2008-07-22, $350,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Columbus city (3 records), Elizabethtown town (1 record), Hope town (1 record).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties; physical measure in event narratives only (local data needed).
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)10 records, 1996 to 2026 (10 zone-level)49 kt (56 mph) to 63 kt (72 mph) (median 53.5 kt (62 mph)); 10 with a recorded value63 kt (72 mph) measured, High Wind, 2002-03-09; NWS zone INZ064High Wind, 2021-03-26, $50,000 property; $0 crops, reported for the zone (2021 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)190 records, 1957 to 202641 kt (47 mph) to 74 kt (85 mph) (median 52 kt (60 mph)); 130 with a recorded value74 kt (85 mph), measurement type not recorded, Thunderstorm Wind, 1983-05-02Thunderstorm Wind, 1994-04-15, $500,000 property; crops not recorded (1994 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Columbus city (32 records), Hope town (12 records), Clifford town (4 records), Jonesville town (4 records), Elizabethtown town (3 records), Hartsville town (1 record).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)20 records, 1957 to 2026F/EF0 to F/EF4 (median F/EF1); 19 with a recorded valueF4 tornado, 1974-04-03, 17 yd wide, $25,000,000 property; crops not recorded (1974 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Hope town (1 record).Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)0Acres burned: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)36 records, 1996 to 2026 (36 zone-level)Heavy Snow, 2004-12-22, $50,000 property; crops not reported (2004 dollars); NWS zone INZ064Countywide (zone-level records).Snow depth: in event narratives only (local data needed).

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records whose zone no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 13 declarations covering 10 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsFlagsNotes
2026-08-152026-08-11EM-3651-INEmergencySevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Strong Wind, Tornadonot yet in FEMA's PA summaries (they cover declarations through 2026-06-30)new since last plan; within last 5 years
2026-01-242026-01-23EM-3641-INEmergencySevere Winter StormWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 years
2025-07-222025-03-30DR-4882-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Strong Wind, Tornado$525,658.39new since last plan; within last 5 years
2020-04-032020-01-20DR-4515-INMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$2,833,375.81
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3456-INEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4515
2008-06-082008-05-30DR-1766-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesInland Flooding; Tornado$64,276,339.88
2005-09-102005-08-29EM-3238-INEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2005-01-212005-01-01DR-1573-INMajor disasterSevere Winter Storms and FloodingInland Flooding; Winter Weather$84,184.84
2005-01-112004-12-21EM-3197-INEmergencySnowWinter Weather$125,355.94
2002-09-252002-09-20DR-1433-INMajor disasterSevere Storms and TornadoesTornadoPA not declared for this county
1996-04-021996-01-06DR-1109-INMajor disasterBlizzard of 96Inland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1991-01-051990-12-28DR-891-INMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1974-04-041974-04-04DR-423-INMajor disasterTornadoesTornadono Public Assistance recorded

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
2002-06-132002-04-28DR-1418-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado
1964-03-171964-03-17DR-162-INMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Flooding
1961-05-201961-05-20DR-113-INMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1954-10-261954-10-26DR-30-INMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Cold Wave4203001996 to 2026-06-30
Drought12002001996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail66306001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave4102001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm3000001996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding60404621996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning6000001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind20017324221955 to 2026-06-30Includes 10 High Wind records.
Tornado20202521950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Winter Weather36327311996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2025-04-06Flood$0 property; $0 crops (2025 dollars)1, 0GARDEN CITYnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsdeaths or injuries recorded
2023-08-23Excessive Heat$0 property; $0 crops, reported for the zone (2023 dollars)0, 0NWS zone INZ064 (BARTHOLOMEW), zone-levelwithin last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2018-04-05Flood$0 property; $0 crops (2018 dollars)1, 0RIVERVIEW ACRESdeaths or injuries recorded
2012-06-12Droughtdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone INZ064 (BARTHOLOMEW), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2008-07-22Lightning$350,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)0, 0ELIZABETHTOWNB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
2008-06-07Flash Flood$10,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)1, 0OLD ST LOUISdeaths or injuries recorded
2008-06-05Flood$150,000,000 property; $150,000,000 crops (2008 dollars) (as recorded; larger than this county's annual agriculture value in the National Risk Index (the county or state extension service keeps crop loss records))0, 0GARDEN to COLUMBUS ARPTB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2002-03-09High Wind63 kt (72 mph) measureddamage not reported0, 0NWS zone INZ064 (BARTHOLOMEW), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
1996-02-02Cold/Wind Chilldamage not reported0, 0NWS zone INZ064 (BARTHOLOMEW), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
1993-08-01Hail2 indamage not recorded (pre-1996 record)0, 0JonesvilleB1-c worst recorded: Hail
1983-05-02Thunderstorm Wind74 kt (85 mph), measurement type not recordeddamage not recorded (pre-1996 record)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
1974-04-03TornadoF4, 17 yd wide$25,000,000 property; crops not recorded (1974 dollars)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Tornado

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (411 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

Tribal and special-area declarations in this state are listed on the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Cold Wave1.84event-days per yearabout 1.84 days per yearLikely (from Storm Events: 3 of 30 years)event-days in 3 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (10%)352005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought2.58event-days per yearabout 2.58 days per yearLikely (from Storm Events: 5 of 30 years)event-days in 5 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (16.7%)1402000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.00231annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.231%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail4.15events per yearabout 4.15 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)157.9 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave5.21event-days per yearabout 5.21 days per yearPossible (from Storm Events: 2 of 30 years)event-days in 2 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (6.67%)742005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricane0.00575events per yearabout 1 in 174 yearsUnlikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)21851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNRI counts hurricane and tropical storm tracks passing within storm-force wind range; federal declarations are in B1-d.
Ice Storm0.7event-days per yearabout 0.7 days per yearLikely (from Storm Events: 3 of 30 years)event-days in 3 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (10%)471946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding1.64event-days per yearabout 1.64 days per yearLikely (from Storm Events: 20 of 30 years)event-days in 20 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (66.7%)461996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.148events per year (modeled)about 1 in 7 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning49.5days per year with a strikeabout 49.5 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind5events per yearabout 5 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)1911986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.307events per yearabout 1 in 3 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.000098annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.0098%Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Winter Weather8.58event-days per yearabout 8.58 days per yearLikely (from Storm Events: 21 of 30 years)event-days in 21 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (70%)1632005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 202534301.13
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20250300
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 2025102303.4
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 20256300.2
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 202520300.667
TornadoEF0-11996 to 20252300.0667
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20251300.0333
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Cold Wave16 of 1633.654.072.2Relatively Moderate 14, Relatively Low 2
Drought16 of 1669.281.093.1Relatively Moderate 2, Relatively Low 7, Very Low 7
Earthquake16 of 1652.474.186.5Relatively Moderate 5, Relatively Low 11
Hail16 of 1659.475.086.6Relatively Moderate 13, Relatively Low 3
Heat Wave16 of 1621.751.572.4Relatively Moderate 5, Relatively Low 11
Hurricane16 of 1621.628.835.7Very Low 16
Ice Storm16 of 1640.566.080.9Relatively Moderate 6, Relatively Low 10
Inland Flooding16 of 1639.182.697.5Very High 1, Relatively High 9, Relatively Moderate 5, Relatively Low 1
Landslide16 of 1626.955.696.9Relatively Moderate 1, Relatively Low 4, Very Low 11
Lightning16 of 1630.254.876.0Relatively Moderate 12, Relatively Low 4
Strong Wind16 of 1653.877.189.4Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 14, Relatively Low 1
Tornado16 of 1670.591.899.0Very High 6, Relatively High 9, Relatively Moderate 1
Wildfire16 of 1635.557.374.2Relatively Low 3, Very Low 13
Winter Weather16 of 1658.579.891.1Relatively High 8, Relatively Moderate 8

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its planNotes
Bartholomew CountyCountyApproved, expires 2030-02-04FMA RL 1, SRL 2; any 13$49,424.300 total; 0 since its plan
Clifford townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-04FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$7,866.406 total; 0 since its plan
Columbus cityCityApproved, expires 2030-02-04FMA RL 1, SRL 2; any 17$1,695,292.5454 total; 0 since its planIncludes $57,192.17 for declarations not counted as hazard incidents (DR-4515-IN).
Edinburgh townTownApproved, expires 2029-04-18FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 5no Public Assistance recorded1 total; 0 since its planWhole community, including the part in Johnson County; in-county portion (county table): FMA RL 0, FMA SRL 0, NFIP RL 1, NFIP SRL 0, any category 1.
Elizabethtown townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-04FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$802.504 total; 0 since its plan
Hartsville townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-04FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded1 total; 0 since its plan
Hope townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-04FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$17,627.3622 total; 0 since its plan
Jonesville townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-04FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded8 total; 1 since its plan

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since 2025-02-05county-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Cold Wave$19,882,865,257$119,771,73182,160$970$82,716$943,357under 0.0001%
Droughtn/a$70,751,696n/an/a$170,918n/a0.242% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$35,704,082,432n/a82,208$2,121,173n/a$532,9940.00594%
Hail$19,882,865,257$119,771,73182,160$399,527$11,866$92,4530.00201%
Heat Wave$19,882,865,257$119,771,73182,160$8,012$2$677,691under 0.0001%
Hurricane$19,841,318,484$116,521,55082,097$5,957$1,816$14under 0.0001%
Ice Storm$19,873,837,376n/a82,137$10,388n/a$136,761under 0.0001%
Inland Flooding$19,850,555,925$28,315,2745,029$18,167,159$551,767$1,705,203n/a (see note)$515,000$525,658.39NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$180,033,029n/a684$419n/a$8,6940.000233%
Lightning$19,882,865,257n/a82,160$38,025n/a$184,5730.000191%
Strong Wind$19,882,865,257$119,771,73182,160$167,631$7,310$586,0720.000843%$169,000$40,000$525,658.39Storm Events damage since the plan includes 1 zone-level High Wind record ($40,000): a NOAA non-thunderstorm wind type, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition.
Tornado$19,882,865,257$119,771,73182,160$4,190,415$1,309$2,633,3460.0211%$1,614,000$525,658.39
Wildfire$2,306,983,429$10,393,08512,461$11,007$8$2,0750.000477%
Winter Weather$19,882,865,257$119,771,73182,160$27,048$338$122,7090.000136%no Public Assistance recorded (1 declaration)

Totals since 2025-02-05 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 25 county-coded records, 20 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $2,298,000; 7 zone-level records, 1 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $40,000 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: $525,658.39 on 3 counted declarations, 1 of them with Public Assistance.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population82,160
Building value (total, not at risk)$19,882,865,257
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$119,771,731
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Relatively Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$25,975,782
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$7,625,941
Social vulnerability ratingRelatively Low
Community resilience ratingRelatively High
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)2Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)4
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition30Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition1

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county and state-level rows

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total2430131111
of which: Bartholomew County (unincorporated area)121311305
of which: Columbus city121601716
of which: Edinburgh town0010100
Statewide, no county in FEMA's file0060600

The statewide row counts properties FEMA's file gives with no county in this state; they are listed for reference and are not in this county's counts.

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredpropertiesNote
Bartholomew County180006121311305
Clifford town1806040000000
Columbus city180007121601716
Edinburgh town1801130050501Whole community, including the part in Johnson County; in-county portion (county table): FMA RL 0, FMA SRL 0, NFIP RL 1, NFIP SRL 0, any category 1.
Elizabethtown town1806050000000
Hartsville town1806060000000
Hope town1806070000000
Jonesville town1803540000000

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group

Sources: 1, 4

Occupancy groupRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
single-family residential242712819
2 to 4 unit residential0000000
other residential0000000
non-residential0030302
not reported0000000

FEMA's occupancy groups have no institutional class; institutional properties are counted in non-residential or other residential in the table by occupancy group.

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 1 property is FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 29 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment, organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B. Each section heading names the item its tables support; the plan and FEMA's review decide whether the item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

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).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Bartholomew County, IN: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 18005). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/in/18005/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: [email protected]

Hazard Plain release 2026-10. As of 2026-09-30; Storm Events data through 2026-06-30. Automated baseline.