Storms, floods and disasters in Brenton Township
Brenton Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Brenton Township has 844 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Brenton 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.
Does Brenton Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Brenton Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Brenton 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: Ford County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brenton Township
Disasters that paid out in Brenton Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Brenton Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$3K to Brenton Township for repairs
- 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$3K to Brenton Township for repairs
Ford County has had 5 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Brenton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brenton Township archive →Brenton Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pella Township | — | 130 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lyman Township | — | 600 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Chatsworth Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Brenton 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 Brenton Township
Is Brenton 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 Ford County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Brenton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brenton 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 Brenton Township?
By FEMA money that reached Brenton Township, Illinois Winter Snow Storms (2000): $3K to Brenton Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brenton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brenton 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.