Natural Disasters in Indiana
Indiana is a northern state located in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Bordered by Michigan to the north, Ohio on the east, Illinois at the west and Kentucky to the south, Indiana shares the Ohio River as a border as well. Flooding and tornadoes are the two most common and frequent natural disasters to occur in Indiana. In fact Indiana is the 14th most tornado prone state in the country ahead of such tornado belt cities as Houston and Wichita.
Due to the natural disasters being consistent across the state of Indiana; tornadoes and flooding from the rivers, the homeowners’ insurance is comparable across the state. Depending on whether the home is in a flood plain and what type of flood plain (i.e. 100-year flood plain, 500-year flood plain, 1000-year flood plain), certain insurance companies and/or lenders will require flood insurance and some may leave it up to the homeowner. In Indiana properties along the Ohio River are most likely to be required to carry flood insurance with their homeowners’ policy. Homeowners’ insurance policies and premiums are similar across the state of Indiana and do not vary too much as the climate and natural disasters do not vary too much throughout the state.
The five major cities in Indiana are Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend and Gary. Indianapolis is located in the central part of the state and has experienced tornadoes and some flooding. Fort Wayne is located on the very east side of Indiana and experiences both tornadoes and flooding. Evansville is a southwestern city in Indiana located in the tri-state area. The tri-state area is comprised of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. South Bend is at the northern tip of the state. Gary is located at the northwest tip of the state of Indiana and is actually considered a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. In 2008 alone Indiana was hit by three major natural disasters. 21 counties in Northern Indiana were declared disaster areas after horrendous flooding in January of 2008. In Central and Southern Indiana there were 50 counties which were declared disaster areas after flooding and torrential tornadoes in June of 2008. The flood of 2008 which will go down in history books as debilitating five Midwest states, victimized the Indiana cities of Bloomington, Edinburgh and Paragon to name a few.
Essentially Indiana is like the other Midwestern states as far as potential for natural disaster and homeowners’ insurance policies reflect the uncertainty and endless possibilities.