On FEMA’s figures, Capital Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Capital Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #227 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then tornadoes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 51 claims here since 1979.
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 Capital 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
Earthquakes
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 Capital Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Capital Township, and Capital Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 17%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B #227 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Capital Township’s residents live in 44 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, Capital Township has less expected damage per building than 71% of Illinois towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Capital Township has lower expected damage per building than 71% (#115 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $60.9M, is the 203th largest of those 400.
Does Capital Township flood? Sometimes: 51 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Capital Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Juan1 claim · $10K
- The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $2K
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $34K
Capital 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: Sangamon County.The storms Capital Township remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Sangamon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Capital Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 197910 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19826 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20145 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Sangamon County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Capital Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Capital Township archive →Capital Township and its neighbors
Capital Township is 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern View | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Springfield Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Curran Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Springfield | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 43 |
| Capital Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Woodside Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Gardner Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Clear Lake Township | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 30 |
| Ball Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Chatham | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Rochester Township | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
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 Capital 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Capital Township
Is Capital Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Capital Township has lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #227 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and tornadoes (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Capital Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 51 claims in Capital Township since 1979, $615K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Juan (1).
Is Capital 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 Sangamon County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Capital Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Capital 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 Capital Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Juan: 1 paid, $10K.
Is Capital Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Capital Township’s rate for it is lower than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Capital Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Capital 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.