Indiana Flooding Kills 7 as Fewer Than 0.48% of Homes Carry Flood Insurance
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 21
Indiana Flooding Kills 7 as Fewer Than 0.48% of Homes Carry Flood Insurance
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 21
Summary
Seven people died in Indiana after August downpours swamped parts of the Midwest, underscoring that inland states remain exposed even in an unusually quiet Atlantic hurricane season.
Just 0.48% of Indiana homes—about 1 in 200—had flood insurance, according to a Neptune Flood analysis of federal data, leaving most households without dedicated coverage for flood damage.
Standard U.S. homeowners policies do not cover flooding, and separate protection through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program or private insurers is generally optional unless a federally backed mortgage is in a high-risk zone.
Indiana had 13,466 federal flood policies in mid-July, down from about 26,000 in 2015, even as FEMA says floods are the nation’s most common and costly natural disaster.
From 2020 to 2024, average flood claim payments were nearly $83,000, highlighting the financial risk for homeowners who forgo coverage outside coastal or riverfront areas.