Photo: User:BillboardMister · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Addison Township faces less hazard damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Addison Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #173 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 845 claims here since 1978.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What stands out about Addison Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Addison Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Addison Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Addison Township, and Addison Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 14% (higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #173 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Addison Township’s residents live in 20 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Addison Township has less expected damage per building than 78% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $34.5M a year in losses across Addison Township: $21.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Addison Township flood? Yes: 845 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Addison Township, from FEMA’s records: 25.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike179 claims · $7.5M
- The Mid-spring storms49 claims · $636K
Addison Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: DuPage County.The storms Addison Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for DuPage County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Addison Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 1987229 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for DuPage County
- 2008181 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for DuPage County
- 198291 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
DuPage County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Addison Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Addison Township archive →Addison Township and its neighbors
Addison Township is 5th of the 10 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Itasca | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Bloomingdale Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 240 |
| Elk Grove Village | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Villa Park | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Addison Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 845 |
| York Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 516 |
| Elk Grove Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 141 |
| Chicago | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 550 |
| Bensenville | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 110 |
| Leyden Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 960 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Addison Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Addison Township
Is Addison Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Addison Township has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #173 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Addison Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 845 claims in Addison Township since 1978, $14.5M in all, or 25.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (179).
Is Addison Township in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In DuPage County, 41% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Addison Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Addison Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Addison Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 179 paid, $7.5M.
Is Addison Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Addison Township’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Addison Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Addison Township’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.