Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Orange County, IN

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
18117
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 2029-12-29. Plan: Orange County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110224), approved 2024-12-30.

Since the plan was approved on 2024-12-30: 3 new hazard declarations (3 incidents) and 18 NOAA Storm Events records; details under "What changed since your last plan".

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($5,551,228 a year), Tornado ($3,033,312) and Strong Wind ($867,662).

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 2029-12-29
Plan:
Orange County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110224)
Approved:
2024-12-30
Days to expiry:
1,186

What changed since your last plan (approved 2024-12-30)

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:
18 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 0, SRL 1 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 14
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 expiryUpdate underwayNotes
Orange CountyCountyApproved, expires 2029-12-29Orange County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110224)2024-12-302029-12-291,186
French Lick townTownPlan 110224 approved 2024-12-30, pending adoption here; not yet eligibleOrange County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110224), pending adoption here2024-12-30 by FEMA; not yet adopted here2029-12-29 once adoptedFEMA tracker shows a plan approvable pending adoptionNot yet eligible: adopt the approved plan.
Orleans townTownApproved, expires 2029-12-29Orange County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110224)2024-12-302029-12-291,186
Paoli townTownApproved, expires 2029-12-29Orange County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110224)2024-12-302029-12-291,186
West Baden Springs townTownPlan 110224 approved 2024-12-30, pending adoption here; not yet eligibleOrange County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110224), pending adoption here2024-12-30 by FEMA; not yet adopted here2029-12-29 once adoptedFEMA tracker shows a plan approvable pending adoptionNot yet eligible: adopt the approved plan.
Orleans Community SchoolsSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2029-12-29Orange County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110224)2024-12-302029-12-291,186
Springs Valley Community School CorporationSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2029-12-29Orange County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110224)2024-12-302029-12-291,186this jurisdiction approved 2025-02-12

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 LowRelatively Low$5,413,362$120,068$17,797$5,551,22843
2TornadoRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$1,044,817$4,911$1,983,584$3,033,31215
3Strong WindRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$272,830$119,862$474,970$867,662113Includes 3 High Wind and 1 Strong Wind records (NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
4EarthquakeRelatively LowRelatively Low$654,130n/a$141,226$795,356Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
5Heat WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$2,389$3$348,466$350,8580No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
6Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$189$87,089$248,294$335,5735Includes 5 Frost/Freeze records (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition; counted in this table and in B1-d, not in the B1-e descriptor).
7DroughtRelatively LowRelatively Lown/a$156,274n/a$156,2740No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
8HailRelatively LowRelatively Low$97,795$9,579$19,760$127,13461
9Winter WeatherRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$20,947$476$59,544$80,96730
10LightningVery LowVery Low$11,160n/a$54,912$66,0722
11Ice StormRelatively LowRelatively Low$29,626n/a$36,278$65,9045
12HurricaneVery LowVery Low$3,985$2,927$9$6,9210No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
13WildfireVery LowVery Low$3,472$11$377$3,8600No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
14LandslideVery LowVery Low$153n/a$833$9860No 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 9513 (Relatively Moderate, 81.3); tract 9517 (Relatively Moderate, 80.3); tract 9514 (Relatively Moderate, 79.2)
Hurricanetract 9514 (Very Low, 39.0); tract 9513 (Very Low, 36.9); tract 9518 (Very Low, 36.7)
Landslidetract 9516 (Relatively Low, 90.1); tract 9514 (Relatively Low, 86.9); tract 9515 (Relatively Low, 86.2)
Tornadotract 9515 (Very High, 97.9); tract 9514 (Very High, 97.0); tract 9516 (Very High, 96.7)
Wildfiretract 9518 (Very Low, 67.1); tract 9514 (Very Low, 65.6); tract 9516 (Very Low, 64.6)

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 9513 is Census Tract 9513). 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 chill0
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage5 records, 2016 to 2025 (5 zone-level)No crop damage reported in 5 records.Countywide (zone-level records).
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)0Storm 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)63 records, 1987 to 20260.75 in to 3 in (median 1 in); 63 with a recorded value3 in hail, 2023-06-25Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Paoli town (15 records), French Lick town (10 records), Orleans town (5 records), West Baden Springs town (3 records).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)0
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)5 records, 2003 to 2022 (5 zone-level)No damage reported in 5 records.Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)43 records, 1996 to 2026 (4 zone-level)Flood, 1996-04-29, $500,000 property; crops not reported (1996 dollars); NWS zone INZ076Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: French Lick town (6 records), Paoli town (4 records), Orleans town (1 record), West Baden Springs town (1 record). Zone-level records (4) 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)0
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)2 records, 2001 to 2010Lightning, 2001-08-18, $75,000 property; crops not reported (2001 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: French Lick town (1 record).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)4 records, 2008 to 2024 (4 zone-level)41 kt (47 mph) to 70 kt (81 mph) (median 50 kt (58 mph)); 4 with a recorded value70 kt (81 mph) measured gust, High Wind, 2008-09-14; NWS zone INZ076High Wind, 2016-04-02, $5,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2016 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)122 records, 1969 to 202650 kt (58 mph) to 87 kt (100 mph) (median 52 kt (60 mph)); 109 with a recorded value87 kt (100 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2006-04-02Thunderstorm Wind, 2004-05-27, $250,000 property; crops not reported (2004 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Paoli town (28 records), French Lick town (16 records), Orleans town (11 records), West Baden Springs town (5 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)23 records, 1954 to 2025F/EF0 to F/EF4 (median F/EF1); 22 with a recorded valueF4 tornado, 1990-06-02, 2 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 200 yd wide, $2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1990 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Paoli town (4 records), French Lick town (1 record), Orleans town (1 record), West Baden Springs 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)0
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)30 records, 1996 to 2026 (30 zone-level)Heavy Snow, 2004-12-22, $200,000 property; crops not reported (2004 dollars); NWS zone INZ076Countywide (zone-level records).

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, ice thickness, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of debris flow and lightning.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that 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: 19 declarations covering 16 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$321,830.31new since last plan; within last 5 years
2020-04-032020-01-20DR-4515-INMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$16,395.90
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3456-INEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4515
2011-06-232011-04-19DR-1997-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, andStrong Wind; Tornado$168,729.59
2009-03-052009-01-26DR-1828-INMajor disasterSevere Winter StormWinter Weather$115,688.99
2008-09-232008-09-12DR-1795-INMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$336,473.02
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 WeatherPA not declared for this county
2005-01-112004-12-21EM-3197-INEmergencySnowWinter Weather$50,903.37
2004-09-012004-07-03DR-1542-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$58,055.25
2004-06-032004-05-25DR-1520-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$130,776.11
2002-06-132002-04-28DR-1418-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$72,426.98
1998-07-221998-06-11DR-1234-INMajor disasterSevere Storms and Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornadono Public Assistance recorded
1996-07-031996-04-28DR-1125-INMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1996-04-021996-01-06DR-1109-INMajor disasterBlizzard of 96Inland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1990-06-041990-05-15DR-869-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes & FloodingInland Flooding; Tornadono Public Assistance recorded
1979-07-311979-07-31DR-596-INMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno 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
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 Wave5101001996 to 2026-06-30Includes 5 Frost/Freeze records.
Drought0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail635115001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Hurricane0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm5001001996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding432021221996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning2000001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind126529321955 to 2026-06-30Includes 3 High Wind and 1 Strong Wind records.
Tornado23106821950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Winter Weather30405411996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2023-06-25Hail3 inproperty not reported; $0 crops (2023 dollars)0, 0WEST BADEN SPGSwithin last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Hail
2017-03-01TornadoEF1, 0.1 mi within this county, 25 yd wide$75,000 property; $0 crops (2017 dollars)0, 1LEIPSICdeaths or injuries recorded
2016-04-02High Wind50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust$5,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2016 dollars)0, 0NWS zone INZ076 (ORANGE), zone-levelB1-c most damaging: High Wind and Strong Wind
2008-09-14High Wind70 kt (81 mph) measured gustdamage not reported0, 0NWS zone INZ076 (ORANGE), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
2006-04-02Thunderstorm Wind87 kt (100 mph) estimated gust$100,000 property; crops not reported (2006 dollars)0, 0PAOLIB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2004-12-22Heavy Snow$200,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2004 dollars)0, 0NWS zone INZ076 (ORANGE), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleet
2004-05-27Thunderstorm Wind70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust$250,000 property; crops not reported (2004 dollars)0, 0CHAMBERSBURGB1-c most damaging: Thunderstorm Wind
2001-08-18Lightning$75,000 property; crops not reported (2001 dollars)0, 0FRENCH LICKB1-c worst recorded: Lightning
1996-04-29Flood$500,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 1996 dollars)0, 0NWS zone INZ076 (ORANGE), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
1990-06-02TornadoF4, 2 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 200 yd wide$2,500,000 property; crops not recorded (1990 dollars)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Tornado
1980-06-07TornadoF1, 33 yd wide$250,000 property; crops not recorded (1980 dollars)0, 0location not recordedlarge reported damage
1974-04-03TornadoF1, 14 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 177 yd wide$250,000 property; crops not recorded (1974 dollars)0, 0location not recordedlarge reported damage

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (297 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 Wave1.32event-days per yearabout 1.32 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)252005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events cold wave record, 1996 to 2025.
Drought4.23event-days per yearabout 4.23 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)1682000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywideNo Storm Events drought record, 1996 to 2025
Earthquake0.00287annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.287%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail3.55events per yearabout 3.55 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)135.0 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave5.68event-days per yearabout 5.68 days per yearStorm Events event-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)862005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events heat wave record, 1996 to 2025
Hurricane0.00573events per yearabout 1 in 174 yearsUnlikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)01851 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 Storm0.541event-days per yearabout 0.541 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 5 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (16.7%)371946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding1.29event-days per yearabout 1.29 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 18 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (60%)361996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.623events per year (modeled)about 0.62 per yearLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning50.9days per year with a strikeabout 50.9 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind5.58events per yearabout 5.58 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)2131986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.308events per yearabout 1 in 3 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.000022annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.0022%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 Weather9.16event-days per yearabout 9.16 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 16 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (53.3%)1742005-11-12 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.

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 20254300.133
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202599303.3
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 20257300.233
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 20250300
TornadoEF0-11996 to 202513300.433
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20252300.0667
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 Wave6 of 649.856.157.8Relatively Moderate 6
Drought6 of 678.391.394.0Relatively Moderate 3, Relatively Low 2, Very Low 1
Earthquake6 of 670.576.981.3Relatively Moderate 3, Relatively Low 3
Hail6 of 667.071.676.4Relatively Moderate 4, Relatively Low 2
Heat Wave6 of 662.368.172.2Relatively Moderate 6
Hurricane6 of 631.336.639.0Very Low 6
Ice Storm6 of 670.472.979.2Relatively Moderate 6
Inland Flooding6 of 659.379.089.2Relatively High 3, Relatively Moderate 3
Landslide6 of 631.782.590.1Relatively Low 3, Very Low 3
Lightning6 of 645.952.358.1Relatively Moderate 5, Relatively Low 1
Strong Wind6 of 694.396.196.7Very High 1, Relatively High 5
Tornado6 of 693.696.497.9Very High 6
Wildfire6 of 658.363.167.1Very Low 6
Winter Weather6 of 685.589.291.5Relatively High 6

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 plan
Orange CountyCountyApproved, expires 2029-12-29FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$80,251.740 total; 0 since its plan
French Lick townTownPlan 110224 approved 2024-12-30, pending adoption here; not yet eligibleFMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 3$41,279.2334 total; no approved plan
Orleans townTownApproved, expires 2029-12-29FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$215,890.9918 total; 1 since its plan
Paoli townTownApproved, expires 2029-12-29FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 2$156,793.5351 total; 0 since its plan
West Baden Springs townTownPlan 110224 approved 2024-12-30, pending adoption here; not yet eligibleFMA RL 0, SRL 1; any 9no Public Assistance recorded10 total; no approved plan

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

School districts and special districts get a plan clock row only.

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 2024-12-30county-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$5,435,251,749$157,758,56719,861$189$87,089$248,294under 0.0001%
Droughtn/a$34,705,080n/an/a$156,274n/a0.45% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$9,694,807,976n/a19,867$654,130n/a$141,2260.00675%
Hail$5,435,251,749$157,758,56719,861$97,795$9,579$19,7600.0018%$0
Heat Wave$5,435,251,749$157,758,56719,861$2,389$3$348,466under 0.0001%
Hurricane$5,435,251,749$157,758,56719,861$3,985$2,927$9under 0.0001%
Ice Storm$5,411,808,587n/a19,765$29,626n/a$36,2780.000547%
Inland Flooding$5,428,826,037$11,515,723680$5,413,362$120,068$17,797n/a (see note)$0$321,830.31NRI 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$376,898,424n/a1,659$153n/a$833under 0.0001%
Lightning$5,435,251,749n/a19,861$11,160n/a$54,9120.000205%
Strong Wind$5,435,251,749$157,758,56719,861$272,830$119,862$474,9700.00502%$0$321,830.31
Tornado$5,435,251,749$157,758,56719,861$1,044,817$4,911$1,983,5840.0192%$0$321,830.31
Wildfire$2,414,938,874$62,746,08510,115$3,472$11$3770.000144%
Winter Weather$5,435,251,749$157,758,56719,861$20,947$476$59,5440.000385%no Public Assistance recorded (1 declaration)

Totals since 2024-12-30 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 13 county-coded records, 10 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0; 5 zone-level records, 0 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: $321,830.31 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
Population19,861
Building value (total, not at risk)$5,435,251,749
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$157,758,567
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$8,056,056
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)$3,386,051
Social vulnerability ratingRelatively Moderate
Community resilience ratingRelatively Moderate
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)0Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)1
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition14Severe 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 total011411401
of which: French Lick town0030300
of which: Paoli town0020200
of which: West Baden Springs town0191901
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 insuredproperties
Orange County1804800000000
French Lick town1801870030300
Orleans town1806010000000
Paoli town1801890020200
West Baden Springs town1801900191901

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 residential0060600
2 to 4 unit residential0010101
other residential0000000
non-residential0171700
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 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 14 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 (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each 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). Orange County, IN: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 18117). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/in/18117/ 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]