Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Diamond

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Aerial view of Diamond, IllinoisPhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Diamond · FEMA

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

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Diamond gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #325 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 80%Tornadoes 12%Strong wind 5%

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 51%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#325 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
B−#325 of 768
in Illinois · lower than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2008 · $52K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
5
of 12 declared for Grundy County
By hazard

What Diamond 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

80%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Hail Wildfire Ice storms Lightning Hurricanes 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 47% of Diamond’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 Diamond’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Diamond, and Diamond’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 5%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Diamond sits
Diamond
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #325 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Diamond’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding80%Tornadoes12%Strong wind5%Everything else3%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Diamond has less expected damage per building than 58% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Diamond: $946K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Diamond covers 3 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 Diamond flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Diamond, from FEMA’s records: 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 1 claim2009: 2 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 claims20082009
20082026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ike1 claim · $20K
3
paid claims since 2008
$52K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$17K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Grundy County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Diamond

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes113 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  2. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$608 aid approved
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$20K to the Village of Diamond for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  5. 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$1K to the Village of Diamond for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DiamondGrundy County only

Grundy County has had 12 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Diamond archive →
Next door

Diamond and its neighbors

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

Coal City: hazard risk BBraidwood: hazard risk ACoal CityBraidwoodDiamond
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BraidwoodAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding1
Coal CityBless damage than 58%river and rain flooding5
DiamondB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding3

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 Diamond 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 Diamond

Is Diamond at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Diamond has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #325 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and tornadoes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Diamond flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Diamond since 2008, $52K in all, or 2.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (1).

Is Diamond 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 Grundy County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Diamond?

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

By FEMA money that reached Diamond, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): 5 households applied for aid, $11K approved, and $20K to the Village of Diamond for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 1 paid, $20K.

Is Diamond at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Diamond’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Diamond.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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