Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Benton County, IN

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
18007
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 2030-02-11. Plan: Benton County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110368), approved 2025-02-12.

Since the plan was approved on 2025-02-12: 1 new hazard declaration (1 incident) and 36 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 ($1,256,577 a year), Cold Wave ($790,688) and Tornado ($540,805).

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 2030-02-11
Plan:
Benton County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110368)
Approved:
2025-02-12
Days to expiry:
1,230

What changed since your last plan (approved 2025-02-12)

New federal declarations:
1 new hazard declaration (1 incident): EM-3641-IN (Severe Winter Storm)
Storm Events records since approval:
36 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 0, SRL 0 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 0
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
Benton CountyCountyApproved, expires 2030-02-11Benton County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110368)2025-02-122030-02-111,230this jurisdiction approved 2026-08-12
Ambia townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-11Benton County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110368)2025-02-122030-02-111,230this jurisdiction approved 2026-08-12
Boswell townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-11Benton County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110368)2025-02-122030-02-111,230this jurisdiction approved 2026-08-12
Earl Park townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-11Benton County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110368)2025-02-122030-02-111,230this jurisdiction approved 2026-08-12
Fowler townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-11Benton County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110368)2025-02-122030-02-111,230
Otterbein townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-11Benton County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110368)2025-02-122030-02-111,230Also approved under plan 109409 (Tippecanoe County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan, expires 2029-04-28). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last. this jurisdiction approved 2026-08-12
Oxford townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-11Benton County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110368)2025-02-122030-02-111,230this jurisdiction approved 2026-08-12
Benton Community School CorporationSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2030-02-11Benton County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110368)2025-02-122030-02-111,230this jurisdiction approved 2026-08-12
Benton County Soil & Water Conservation DistrictConservation DistrictPlan 110368 approved 2025-02-12, pending adoption here; not yet eligibleBenton County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110368), pending adoption here2025-02-12 by FEMA; not yet adopted here2030-02-11 once adoptedFEMA tracker shows a plan approvable pending adoptionNot yet eligible: adopt the approved plan.

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 FloodingVery LowVery Low$1,222,759$33,635$183$1,256,57723
2Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Low$216$27,097$763,375$790,68813
3TornadoRelatively LowRelatively Low$337,637$4,202$198,966$540,80511
4Strong WindRelatively LowRelatively Low$49,303$3,200$161,458$213,961102Includes 6 High Wind and 1 Strong Wind records (NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
5HailRelatively LowRelatively Low$103,985$89,083$3,618$196,68648
6EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$159,723n/a$22,753$182,476Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
7Heat WaveVery LowVery Low$763$3$80,715$81,4817
8Winter WeatherVery LowRelatively Low$1,354$703$19,041$21,09742
9LightningVery LowVery Low$1,961n/a$18,845$20,8060No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
10HurricaneVery LowVery Low$1,291$7,741$1$9,0320No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
11Ice StormVery LowVery Low$1,787n/a$4,082$5,8693
12WildfireVery LowVery Low$490$2$39$5310No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
13LandslideVery LowVery Low$3n/a$67$700No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
14DroughtNo RatingNo Expected Annual Lossesn/a$0n/a$07

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 lightning, 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 1002 (Relatively Low, 72.4); tract 1003 (Relatively Low, 64.3); tract 1001 (Relatively Low, 59.8)
Hurricanetract 1001 (Very Low, 44.7); tract 1003 (Very Low, 43.3); tract 1002 (Very Low, 42.3)
Landslidetract 1001 (Very Low, 74.0); tract 1003 (Very Low, 67.9); tract 1002 (Very Low, 65.0)
Tornadotract 1002 (Relatively High, 79.4); tract 1001 (Relatively Moderate, 70.6); tract 1003 (Relatively Moderate, 69.3)
Wildfiretract 1002 (Very Low, 49.4); tract 1001 (Very Low, 46.5); tract 1003 (Very Low, 45.9)

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 1002 is Census Tract 1002). 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 chill13 records, 1996 to 2026 (13 zone-level)1 day to 3 days (median 2 days); 11 with a recorded value3 consecutive days, 2024-01-14 to 2024-01-16, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)7 records, 2023 to 2026 (7 zone-level)29 days to 85 days (median 36 days); 3 with a recorded value85 days (about 2.8 months), 2026-01-06 to 2026-03-31, a run of 3 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)60 records, 1975 to 20260.75 in to 4.25 in (median 1 in); 60 with a recorded value4.25 in hail, 2010-06-14Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Boswell town (14 records), Fowler town (11 records), Earl Park town (6 records), Ambia town (3 records), Oxford town (3 records), Otterbein town (1 record).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)7 records, 2012 to 2026 (7 zone-level)1 day to 4 days (median 2 days); 7 with a recorded value4 consecutive days, 2012-07-04 to 2012-07-07, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
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, 2007 to 2008 (3 zone-level)No damage reported in 3 records.Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)23 records, 2001 to 2023 (2 zone-level)Flash Flood, 2008-01-08, $250,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Ambia town (5 records), Boswell town (2 records), Earl Park town (1 record), Fowler town (1 record), Oxford town (1 record). Zone-level records (2) 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)0Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)7 records, 1996 to 2019 (7 zone-level)46 kt (53 mph) to 57 kt (66 mph) (median 50 kt (58 mph)); 6 with a recorded value57 kt (66 mph), measurement type not recorded, High Wind, 1997-04-30; NWS zone INZ019High Wind, 2019-02-24, $25,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2019 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)117 records, 1960 to 202650 kt (58 mph) to 87 kt (100 mph) (median 55 kt (63 mph)); 99 with a recorded value87 kt (100 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2010-06-14Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Fowler town (25 records), Boswell town (15 records), Earl Park town (11 records), Otterbein town (8 records), Oxford town (7 records), Ambia town (3 records).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)23 records, 1954 to 2026F/EF0 to F/EF4 (median F/EF0); 23 with a recorded valueF4 tornado, 1974-04-03, 1.3 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 333 yd wide, $250,000,000 property; crops not recorded (1974 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Otterbein town (3 records), Ambia town (2 records), Boswell town (2 records), Oxford 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)42 records, 1997 to 2026 (42 zone-level)No damage reported in 42 records.Countywide (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: 21 declarations covering 18 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
2026-01-242026-01-23EM-3641-INEmergencySevere Winter StormWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recordednew since last plan; within last 5 years
2023-04-152023-03-31DR-4704-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and TornadoesInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$25,942.41within last 5 years
2020-04-032020-01-20DR-4515-INMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$63,513.35
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3456-INEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4515
2018-05-042018-02-14DR-4363-INMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$38,525.06
2011-06-232011-04-19DR-1997-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, andStrong Wind; Tornado$15,081.12
2008-06-082008-05-30DR-1766-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesInland Flooding; Tornado$37,356.96
2008-01-302008-01-07DR-1740-INMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$166,897.51
2007-03-122007-02-12EM-3274-INEmergencySnowWinter Weather$37,080.94
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
2004-06-032004-05-25DR-1520-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$136,377.75
2003-07-112003-07-04DR-1476-INMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; TornadoPA not declared for this county
2001-01-242000-12-11EM-3162-INEmergencySnowWinter Weather$16,908.75
1999-01-151999-01-01EM-3135-INEmergencyIn-Winter Storm 12/23/98Winter Weather$45,688.90
1998-07-221998-06-11DR-1234-INMajor disasterSevere Storms and Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornadono Public Assistance recorded
1998-05-081998-03-09DR-1217-INMajor disasterSevere Winter StormWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1991-03-291991-03-12DR-899-INMajor disasterSevere Ice StormIce Stormno Public Assistance recorded
1991-01-051990-12-28DR-891-INMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1977-02-021977-02-02EM-3028-INEmergencySnowstormsWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded
1974-04-041974-04-04DR-423-INMajor disasterTornadoesTornadono Public Assistance recorded

School districts and special districts in this county: $74,944.04 (included in the county total above). Public Assistance matched by applicant name to the school districts and special districts FEMA lists as plan participants in this county. They have no row of their own in the jurisdiction table, so their total is listed here. These dollars are already included in the county PA column of the declarations table (the FEMA record places each applicant in this county), so this line is not added to it.

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 Wave13205001996 to 2026-06-30
Drought7327001996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail60202001955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave7206001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm3000101996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding23001901996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Strong Wind12419227201955 to 2026-06-30Includes 6 High Wind and 1 Strong Wind records.
Tornado23104701950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Winter Weather427216711996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2026-01-06Drought$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2026 dollars)0, 0NWS zone INZ019 (BENTON), zone-levelnew since last plan; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2024-01-14Extreme Cold/Wind Chill$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2024 dollars)0, 0NWS zone INZ019 (BENTON), zone-levelwithin last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2019-02-24High Wind50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust$25,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2019 dollars)0, 0NWS zone INZ019 (BENTON), zone-levelB1-c most damaging: High Wind and Strong Wind
2012-07-04Excessive Heat$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2012 dollars)0, 0NWS zone INZ019 (BENTON), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Excessive Heat, Heat
2011-04-19Thunderstorm Wind65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust$75,000 property; $0 crops (2011 dollars)0, 0TALBOTlarge reported damage
2010-06-14Hail4.25 in$500,000 property; $2,000,000 crops (2010 dollars)0, 0BOSWELL to TEMPLETONB1-c worst recorded: Hail
2010-06-14Thunderstorm Wind87 kt (100 mph) estimated gust$100,000 property; $0 crops (2010 dollars)0, 0BOSWELL to OXFORDB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2008-01-08Flash Flood$250,000 property; $0 crops (2008 dollars)0, 0RAUB to AMBIAB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
1997-04-30High Wind57 kt (66 mph), measurement type not recordeddamage not reported0, 0NWS zone INZ019 (BENTON), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
1991-08-08TornadoF2, 5 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 127 yd wide$250,000 property; crops not recorded (1991 dollars)0, 0location not recordedlarge reported damage
1974-04-03TornadoF4, 1.3 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 333 yd wide$250,000,000 property; crops not recorded (1974 dollars)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Tornado
1956-03-06TornadoF2, 0.4 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 250 yd wide$250,000 property; crops not recorded (1956 dollars)0, 3location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (302 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 Wave3.47event-days per yearabout 3.47 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 10 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (33.3%)662005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought0event-days per yearnone modeledPossibleStorm Events event-days in 2 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (6.67%)02000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywideNRI models no drought event-days here (2000 to 2025, 25.25 years; D3 and D4 only); Storm Events has a record in 2 of 30 years. The descriptor comes from Storm Events, which counts D2 drought that NRI leaves out.
Earthquake0.00171annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.171%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail3.04events per yearabout 3.04 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)115.7 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave4.21event-days per yearabout 4.21 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 4 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (13.3%)682005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricane0.0208events per yearabout 1 in 48 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)61851 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 Storm0.995event-days per yearabout 0.995 days per yearPossibleStorm Events event-days in 2 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (6.67%)671946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding0.643event-days per yearabout 0.643 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 12 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (40%)181996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.0611events per year (modeled)about 1 in 16 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning46days per year with a strikeabout 46 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind4.3events per yearabout 4.3 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)1641986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.355events per yearabout 1 in 3 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.0000165annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.00165%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 Weather9.26event-days per yearabout 9.26 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 16 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (53.3%)1762005-11-12 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 202523300.767
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20253300.1
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 202578302.6
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 20259300.3
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 20250300
TornadoEF0-11996 to 20258300.267
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 Wave3 of 385.288.291.2Relatively High 3
Drought0 of 3No Rating 3
Earthquake3 of 359.864.372.4Relatively Low 3
Hail3 of 386.386.487.8Relatively Moderate 3
Heat Wave3 of 333.239.346.7Relatively Low 3
Hurricane3 of 342.343.344.7Very Low 3
Ice Storm3 of 323.724.934.7Relatively Low 1, Very Low 2
Inland Flooding3 of 329.338.538.8Relatively Low 3
Landslide3 of 365.067.974.0Very Low 3
Lightning3 of 332.636.242.4Relatively Low 3
Strong Wind3 of 382.886.589.4Relatively High 3
Tornado3 of 369.370.679.4Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 2
Wildfire3 of 345.946.549.4Very Low 3
Winter Weather3 of 370.974.679.7Relatively High 1, Relatively Moderate 2

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, 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.

This county has 3 census tracts; the minimum, median and maximum come from those 3.

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
Benton CountyCountyApproved, expires 2030-02-11FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$29,734.500 total; 0 since its plan
Ambia townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-11FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded13 total; 2 since its plan
Boswell townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-11FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$8,997.4333 total; 3 since its plan
Earl Park townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-11FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$81018 total; 0 since its plan
Fowler townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-11FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$12,079.1437 total; 8 since its plan
Otterbein townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-11FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded12 total; 0 since its planAlso approved under plan 109409 (Tippecanoe County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan, expires 2029-04-28). FEMA's plan status map shows one plan per jurisdiction and may show one of these; this packet uses the approved plan that expires last.
Oxford townTownApproved, expires 2030-02-11FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$3,411.5112 total; 2 since its 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 2025-02-12county-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$2,343,897,810$230,351,7958,719$216$27,097$763,375under 0.0001%$0
Droughtn/a$0n/an/a$0n/a$0agriculture exposure is 0 in NRI
Earthquake$4,270,374,261n/a8,719$159,723n/a$22,7530.00374%
Hail$2,343,897,810$230,351,7958,719$103,985$89,083$3,6180.00444%$0
Heat Wave$2,343,897,810$230,351,7958,719$763$3$80,715under 0.0001%$0
Hurricane$2,343,897,810$227,187,8108,719$1,291$7,741$1under 0.0001%
Ice Storm$2,343,897,810n/a8,719$1,787n/a$4,082under 0.0001%
Inland Flooding$2,343,751,467$4,000,21818$1,222,759$33,635$183n/a (see note)NRI 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$2,771,461n/a8$3n/a$67under 0.0001%
Lightning$2,343,897,810n/a8,719$1,961n/a$18,845under 0.0001%
Strong Wind$2,343,897,810$230,351,7958,719$49,303$3,200$161,4580.0021%$0
Tornado$2,343,897,810$230,351,7958,719$337,637$4,202$198,9660.0144%$0
Wildfire$464,143,068$13,215,9401,827$490$2$390.000106%
Winter Weather$2,343,897,810$230,351,7958,719$1,354$703$19,041under 0.0001%$0no Public Assistance recorded (1 declaration)

Totals since 2025-02-12 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 22 county-coded records, 22 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0; 14 zone-level records, 14 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: none recorded on the 1 counted declaration.

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
Population8,719
Building value (total, not at risk)$2,343,897,810
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$230,351,795
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$2,046,936
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)$1,273,143
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)0Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0

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 total0000000
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
Benton County1804770000000
Ambia town1805590000000
Boswell town1805610000000
Earl Park town1805600000000
Fowler town1800080000000
Otterbein town1805620000000
Oxford town1805630000000

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: 0 in every occupancy group.

Sources: 1, 4

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 0 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). Benton County, IN: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 18007). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/in/18007/ 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: contact@hazardplain.org