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Ashton IL USA Spring 2009Photo: Uoila1 · Public domain
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ashton Township · FEMA

Ashton Township’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ashton Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (11%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

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

more than 61%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
By hazard

What Ashton 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

74%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Strong wind

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Earthquakes Ice storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 10% of Ashton Township’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Ashton Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ashton Township, and Ashton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 7%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ashton Township sits
Ashton Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Ashton Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding74%Tornadoes11%Strong wind7%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $914K a year in losses across Ashton Township: $562K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Ashton Township covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Ashton Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ashton Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Ashton 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: Lee County.
Disasters

The storms Ashton Township remembers

None of the 7 disasters declared for Lee County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ashton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Ashton TownshipLee County only

Lee County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Next door

Ashton Township and its neighbors

Ashton Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lafayette Township: not gradedFranklin Grove Township: hazard risk CReynolds Township: not gradedBradford Township: not gradedTaylor Township: not gradedLafayette TownshipFranklin Grove TownshipReynolds TownshipBradford TownshipTaylor TownshipAshton Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Ashton TownshipC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding0
Franklin Grove TownshipCmore damage than 69%river and rain flooding—
Lafayette Township—264 residents; we grade 1,000+
Reynolds Township—266 residents; we grade 1,000+
Bradford Township—253 residents; we grade 1,000+
Taylor Township—832 residents; we grade 1,000+

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Ashton 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Ashton Township

Is Ashton Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ashton Township has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Ashton 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 Lee County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ashton Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ashton Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Ashton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Ashton Township’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ashton Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ashton 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.