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B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Berkeley · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Berkeley as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Berkeley gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #333 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2013.

River and rain flooding 85%Tornadoes 9%Earthquakes 4%

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

less than 50%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#333 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
B−#333 of 768
in Illinois · lower than 50% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
85% of expected building damage
Flood claims
2
paid since 2013 · $18K
Disasters paid out here
9
of 21 declared for Cook County
By hazard

What Berkeley 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

85%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Hurricanes Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWildfireAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 27% of Berkeley’s expected losses. Cold waves do 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 Berkeley’s grade

River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Berkeley, and Berkeley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 9% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Berkeley sits
Berkeley
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #333 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Berkeley’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding85%Tornadoes9%Earthquakes4%Everything else1%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Berkeley has less expected damage per building than 57% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Berkeley: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Berkeley’s 5,338 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Berkeley flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2013

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Berkeley, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20132019
20132026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $10K
2
paid claims since 2013
$18K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Berkeley isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Cook County.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Berkeley

Disasters that paid out in Berkeley itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Berkeley), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Floodng43 households applied for aid$119K aid approved
  2. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding9 households applied for aid$35K aid approved
  3. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding78 households applied for aid$244K aid approved
  4. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding292 households applied for aid$705K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$21K to the Village of Berkeley for repairs
  6. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding414 households applied for aid$1.4M aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding55 households applied for aid$90K aid approved$3K to the Village of Berkeley for repairs
  2. 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$11K to the Village of Berkeley for repairs
  3. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$9K to the Village of Berkeley for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BerkeleyCook County only

Cook County has had 21 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Berkeley after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Berkeley archive →
Next door

Berkeley and its neighbors

Berkeley is 2nd of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hillside: hazard risk C+Bellwood: hazard risk DNorthlake: hazard risk C−Melrose Park: hazard risk CProviso Township: hazard risk C−York Township: hazard risk BElmhurst: hazard risk CHillsideBellwoodNorthlakeMelrose ParkProviso TownshipYork TownshipElmhurstBerkeley
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
York TownshipBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding516
BerkeleyB−less damage than 50%river and rain flooding2
HillsideC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding7
Melrose ParkCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding374
ElmhurstCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding248
Proviso TownshipC−more damage than 77%river and rain flooding2,580
NorthlakeC−more damage than 82%river and rain flooding209
BellwoodDmore damage than 86%river and rain flooding1,127

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 Berkeley 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 ↗
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 Berkeley

Is Berkeley at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Berkeley has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #333 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and tornadoes (9%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Berkeley flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Berkeley since 2013, $18K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).

Is Berkeley 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 Cook County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Berkeley?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Berkeley’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 Berkeley?

By FEMA money that reached Berkeley, Severe Storms and Flooding (2010): 414 households applied for aid, $1.4M approved. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $10K.

Is Berkeley at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Berkeley’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Berkeley.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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