Photo: Nyttend · Public domainMore hazard damage per building is expected in Carlyle than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carlyle gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #652 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%), then earthquakes (30%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2000.
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 Carlyle 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
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Strong wind
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 Carlyle’s grade
River and rain flooding is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carlyle, and Carlyle’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 6%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #652 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Carlyle’s residents live in 3 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, Carlyle has more expected damage per building than 85% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Carlyle: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Carlyle flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Carlyle, from FEMA’s records: 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Carlyle isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clinton County.The storms Carlyle remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Clinton County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Carlyle itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20001 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20151 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20241 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Clinton County has had 4 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 Carlyle after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Carlyle archive →Get ready for what Carlyle 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Carlyle
Is Carlyle at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carlyle has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #652 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (53%) and earthquakes (30%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Carlyle flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Carlyle since 2000, $15K in all, or 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Carlyle 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 Clinton County, 2% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Carlyle?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Carlyle’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Carlyle at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Carlyle’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carlyle.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Carlyle’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.