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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in DeKalb · FEMA

FEMA puts DeKalb’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, DeKalb gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #178 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%), then tornadoes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 87 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 83%Tornadoes 11%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 66%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#178 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
B+#178 of 768
in Illinois · lower than 66% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
83% of expected building damage
Flood claims
87
paid since 1978 · $1.3M
Disasters paid out here
5
of 9 declared for DeKalb County

What stands out about DeKalb’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way32 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 200728 flood claims were paid for 2007 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What DeKalb 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

83%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

11%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 27% of DeKalb’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 DeKalb’s grade

River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in DeKalb, and DeKalb’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 11% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).

Where DeKalb sits
DeKalb
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #178 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).

DeKalb’s residents live in 10 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding83%Tornadoes11%Earthquakes4%Everything else2%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, DeKalb has less expected damage per building than 77% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $17.4M a year in losses across DeKalb: $10.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 10 census tracts by where DeKalb’s 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 DeKalb flood? Sometimes: 87 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in DeKalb, from FEMA’s records: 5.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 3 claims1979: 4 claims1980: 2 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 5 claims1983: 25 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 15 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 28 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 2 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 claims198319962007
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-spring storms2 claims · $24K
87
paid claims since 1978
$1.3M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$15K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

DeKalb 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.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
32flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to DeKalb

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding56 households applied for aid$38K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$78K to the City of DeKalb for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding19 households applied for aid$33K aid approved
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding180 households applied for aid$336K aid approved$174K to the City of DeKalb for repairs28 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2006Snow$75K to the City of DeKalb for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DeKalbDeKalb 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 DeKalb after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the DeKalb archive →
Next door

DeKalb and its neighbors

DeKalb is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Sycamore: hazard risk B+Cortland: hazard risk A−SycamoreCortlandDeKalb
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
CortlandA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding1
SycamoreB+less damage than 68%river and rain flooding74
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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb

Is DeKalb at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, DeKalb has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #178 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and tornadoes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does DeKalb flood?

Flood insurance has paid 87 claims in DeKalb since 1978, $1.3M in all, or 5.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (2).

Is DeKalb 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 DeKalb?

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

By FEMA money that reached DeKalb, Severe Storms and Flooding (2007): 180 households applied for aid, $336K approved, and $174K to the City of DeKalb for repairs. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 2 paid, $24K.

Is DeKalb at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and DeKalb’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in DeKalb.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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