Photo: Sea Cow · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Aurora Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aurora Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #202 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 246 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 Aurora Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Aurora 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
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 Aurora Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Aurora Township, and Aurora Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
B #202 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Aurora Township’s residents live in 30 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, Aurora Township has less expected damage per building than 74% of Illinois towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Aurora Township has lower expected damage per building than 75% (#101 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $42.2M, is the 280th largest of those 400.
Does Aurora Township flood? Yes: 246 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Aurora Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms27 claims · $321K
- Hurricane Ike10 claims · $98K
- The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $18K
Aurora 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: Kane County.The storms Aurora Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Kane County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Aurora Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 1996103 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Kane County
- 201328 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, declared for Kane County
- 198325 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Kane 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 Aurora Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Aurora Township archive →Aurora Township and its neighbors
Aurora Township is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Aurora | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Batavia Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Naperville Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 56 |
| Aurora Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 246 |
| Oswego Township | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Sugar Grove Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Aurora 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.
- 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 Aurora Township
Is Aurora Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Aurora Township has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #202 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Aurora Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 246 claims in Aurora Township since 1978, $3.5M in all, or 5.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (27).
Is Aurora 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 Kane County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Aurora Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Aurora 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 Aurora Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 27 paid, $321K.
Is Aurora Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Aurora Township’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Aurora Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Aurora 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.