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Cerro Gordo village hall 2026-09-12Photo: User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Cerro Gordo · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cerro Gordo gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then tornadoes (13%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 66%Tornadoes 13%Earthquakes 12%

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

more than 53%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Illinois · higher than 53% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
66% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 6 declared for Piatt County
By hazard

What Cerro Gordo 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

66%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Tornadoes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Earthquakes

12%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 24% of Cerro Gordo’s expected losses. Drought does 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 Cerro Gordo’s grade

River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cerro Gordo, and Cerro Gordo’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 6%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Cerro Gordo sits
Cerro Gordo
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding66%Tornadoes13%Earthquakes12%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $928K a year in losses across Cerro Gordo: $448K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Cerro Gordo’s 1,316 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Cerro Gordo township (1,899 residents) and Cisco village (254 residents) and LaPlace CDP (239 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Cerro Gordo flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cerro Gordo. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Piatt County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cerro Gordo

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

  1. 2006Severe Winter Storm$3K to the Village of Cerro Gordo for repairs
  2. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$4K to the Village of Cerro Gordo for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Cerro GordoPiatt County only

Piatt County has had 6 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Cerro Gordo archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Cerro Gordo 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Cerro Gordo

Is Cerro Gordo at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cerro Gordo has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and tornadoes (13%). 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.

Is Cerro Gordo 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 Piatt County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Cerro Gordo?

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

By FEMA money that reached Cerro Gordo, Il-winter Storm 1/1/99 (1999): $4K to the Village of Cerro Gordo for repairs.

Is Cerro Gordo at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Cerro Gordo’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cerro Gordo.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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