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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Cortland · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Cortland than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cortland gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #105 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2007.

River and rain flooding 82%Tornadoes 12%Earthquakes 4%

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

less than 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#105 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
A−#105 of 768
in Illinois · lower than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2007 · $79K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 9 declared for DeKalb County
By hazard

What Cortland 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

82%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Hail Ice storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms 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 cold waves at 29% of Cortland’s expected losses. Cold waves do 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 Cortland’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cortland, and Cortland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 12% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Cortland sits
Cortland
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #105 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Cortland’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Tornadoes12%Earthquakes4%Everything else2%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Cortland has less expected damage per building than 86% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Cortland: $910K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Cortland covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Cortland flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2007

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cortland, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2007
20072026
1
paid claims since 2007
$79K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$79K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: DeKalb County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cortland

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$5K to the Town of Cortland for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding11 households applied for aid$20K aid approved$35K to the Town of Cortland for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CortlandDeKalb County only

DeKalb County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Cortland archive →
Next door

Cortland and its neighbors

Cortland has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

DeKalb: hazard risk B+DeKalbCortland
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
CortlandA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding1
DeKalbB+less damage than 66%river and rain flooding87

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Cortland 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 ↗
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 Cortland

Is Cortland at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cortland has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #105 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and tornadoes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Cortland flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Cortland since 2007, $79K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Cortland 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 DeKalb County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Cortland?

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

By FEMA money that reached Cortland, Severe Storms and Flooding (2007): 11 households applied for aid, $20K approved, and $35K to the Town of Cortland for repairs.

Is Cortland at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Cortland’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cortland.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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