Fort Wayne Flood History by the Numbers: Three Rivers, 113 Years of Crests
Last reviewed 2026-07-25. Journalists, researchers, and community groups are welcome to cite any figure on this page with attribution and a link.
Fort Wayne exists because three rivers meet here — and floods, from 1913 to 1982 to 2003, are the city's recurring story. This page collects the verified numbers: every record crest, the 1982 sandbag effort, and what flood risk looks like for Allen County homes today. Every figure links to its source at the bottom.
It pairs with our practical companion, The Fort Wayne Flood Guide, which covers what each neighborhood should actually do before the next crest.
26.1 ft
The Maumee's all-time record crest at Fort Wayne, set in the 1913 Easter flood
NOAA National Water Prediction Service
1,000,000+
Sandbags placed in the 1982 flood, largely by ~11,000 student volunteers
ACGSI / NWS retrospective
~9,000
Residents evacuated in March 1982
ACGSI local history
1,672
Flood insurance claims filed in Allen County since 1978
FEMA NFIP claims data
The record book, river by river
Two details in that table matter for homeowners. First, the St. Marys' record is a July flood — summer storms flood this city, not just spring snowmelt. Second, the modern era is well represented: 1991, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2015 all put rivers into the record books.
| Gauge | Record crest | Date | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maumee River at Fort Wayne | 26.1 ft | Mar 26, 1913 | 25.93 ft (Mar 17, 1982) |
| Maumee River at New Haven | 25.49 ft | Mar 17, 1982 | 23.76 ft (1991) · 23.68 ft (2009) · 23.2 ft (2008) |
| St. Marys River near Fort Wayne | 21.2 ft | Jul 9, 2003 | 19.88 ft (2015) · 19.66 ft (1982) |
| St. Joseph River near Fort Wayne | 22.0 ft | Mar 26, 1913 | 20.38 ft (Mar 12, 2009) |
Official NWS crest records (flood stage: Maumee 17 ft, St. Marys minor 14 ft / major 19 ft, St. Joseph 10 ft). Note that four of New Haven's top five crests have come since 1991.
1982: The City That Saved Itself
Snowmelt from an 81-inch winter plus March rain held the Maumee above flood stage for fifteen straight days (March 12–26, 1982). About 9,000 residents evacuated neighborhoods like Nebraska and Lakeside, and roughly 3,800 were left homeless.
The response wrote the city's legend: more than one million sandbags placed, most famously by some 11,000 high-school students who left class to work the dikes. President Reagan flew in on March 16 and passed sandbags himself. Damage still reached $56.1 million — but the NWS credits the volunteer-held Pemberton Drive dike alone with preventing roughly $25 million more. Reader's Digest made the nickname stick: The City That Saved Itself.
1913: the flood that drew the map
The Easter 1913 flood remains the benchmark. After 7.21 inches of storm rainfall, dikes on the St. Joseph broke, more than 2,000 homes went underwater, and roughly 15,000 people — about a fifth of the city — were left homeless. Six deaths are documented (the local History Center counts seven), and water and electricity were out for over a week.
Flood risk in Allen County today
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program records 1,672 flood claims in Allen County since 1978 — flood losses here are routine, not rare. The county's 172,018 housing units (Census, 2025 estimate) sit in a city threaded by three flood-prone rivers.
The defenses are real: since 1982 Fort Wayne has built roughly 15 miles of levees and floodwalls and a 34-site early-warning gauge network, earning residents a 10% NFIP discount through the Community Rating System. City Utilities invested more than $130 million in water, sewer, and stormwater work in 2024 alone — over $1 billion in the past decade — much of it aimed at chronic neighborhood flooding.
Sources & Methodology
Every figure above was taken from the primary sources below (accessed 2026-07-25). Where a number is derived (arithmetic on published figures) or covers a broader period or area, the text says so.
- NOAA National Water Prediction Service — Maumee at Fort Wayne (FTWI3) — crest records
- NOAA NWPS — Maumee at New Haven (NHVI3)
- NOAA NWPS — St. Marys near Fort Wayne (SASI3)
- NOAA NWPS — St. Joseph near Fort Wayne (USGS 04180500)
- Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana — the 1982 flood — evacuations, sandbags, damage total
- NWS Northern Indiana — 1982 flood retrospective (Part 6) — Reagan visit, Pemberton dike, flood-stage duration
- Midwestern Regional Climate Center (Purdue) — the 1913 flood in Fort Wayne
- FEMA OpenFEMA — NFIP claims, Allen County IN (county 18003, dataset frozen Jun 2026)
- City of Fort Wayne Public Works — flood control
- Fort Wayne City Utilities — 2024 infrastructure investment
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts — Allen County, IN (V2025)
Quick Answers
What was the worst flood in Fort Wayne history?
By river height, the 1913 Easter flood — the Maumee's 26.1-foot crest at Fort Wayne still stands as the record, with 2,000+ homes submerged and roughly 15,000 people left homeless. The March 1982 flood came within about two inches of it (25.93 ft) and set the all-time record at New Haven.
Why is Fort Wayne called 'The City That Saved Itself'?
During the 1982 flood, volunteers — including roughly 11,000 high-school students — placed more than a million sandbags over two weeks while the Maumee sat above flood stage. President Reagan joined the sandbag line on March 16, 1982. The NWS credits one volunteer-held dike with preventing about $25 million in additional damage; Reader's Digest coined the nickname.
Do all three rivers actually flood?
Yes, and on different schedules. The Maumee and St. Joseph set their records in the spring floods of 1913 and 1982, but the St. Marys' record crest (21.2 ft) came in July 2003 — a summer storm event. Between them, the three rivers have put crests in the record book in 1913, 1982, 1991, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2015.
How common are flood insurance claims in Allen County?
FEMA's NFIP dataset records 1,672 flood claims in Allen County since 1978 — a steady drumbeat rather than a rare event. Fort Wayne's Community Rating System participation earns residents a 10% discount on NFIP premiums, and the city maintains ~15 miles of flood-protection structures and a 34-gauge warning network.