FEMA puts Bloom Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bloom Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #509 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%), then tornadoes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 238 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 Bloom Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Bloom 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 Bloom Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bloom Township, and Bloom Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
C #509 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bloom Township’s residents live in 22 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, Bloom Township has more expected damage per building than 66% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $44.9M a year in losses across Bloom Township: $25.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bloom Township flood? Yes: 238 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bloom Township, from FEMA’s records: 7.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike21 claims · $108K
- The Mid-spring storms2 claims · $13K
Bloom 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: Cook County.The storms Bloom Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Cook County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bloom Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198247 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 198134 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes, declared for Cook County
- 200824 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Cook County
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.
Old photos of Bloom Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bloom Township archive →Bloom Township and its neighbors
Bloom Township is 7th of the 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steger | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Thornton | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Crete | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Crete Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Rich Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 125 |
| Flossmoor | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 98 |
| Bloom Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 238 |
| Lansing | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 209 |
| Homewood | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Munster | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 508 |
| Thornton Township | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 2,023 |
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 Bloom 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 Bloom Township
Is Bloom Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bloom Township has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #509 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bloom Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 238 claims in Bloom Township since 1978, $1.1M in all, or 7.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (21).
Is Bloom 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 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 Bloom Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bloom 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 Bloom Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 21 paid, $108K.
Is Bloom Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Bloom Township’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bloom Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bloom 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.