On FEMA’s figures, Dodds Township faces more hazard damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dodds Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #568 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (45%), then river and rain flooding (38%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2012.
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 Dodds Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 Dodds Township’s grade
Earthquakes are 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dodds Township, and Dodds Township’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 6%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C #568 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Dodds Township’s residents live in 6 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, Dodds Township has more expected damage per building than 74% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Dodds Township: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dodds Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2012
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dodds Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Dodds Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.The storms Dodds Township remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Dodds Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20212 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20121 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Jefferson County has had 2 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Dodds Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dodds Township archive →Dodds Township and its neighbors
Dodds Township is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| McClellan Township | Cmore damage than 68% | earthquakes | — |
| Mount Vernon | Cmore damage than 69% | earthquakes | 12 |
| Pendleton Township | Cmore damage than 72% | earthquakes | — |
| Dodds Township | Cmore damage than 72% | earthquakes | 3 |
| Spring Garden Township | Cmore damage than 75% | earthquakes | — |
| Mount Vernon Township | — | not graded yet | |
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.
Get ready for what Dodds Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Dodds Township
Is Dodds Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dodds Township has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #568 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (45%) and river and rain flooding (38%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Dodds Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Dodds Township since 2012, $59K in all, or 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Dodds Township 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 Jefferson County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Dodds Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dodds Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Dodds Township at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Dodds Township’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dodds Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dodds Township’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.