Photo: Anonymous · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Downers Grove Township than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Downers Grove Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #131 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 210 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Downers Grove Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Downers Grove Township 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
Tornadoes
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 Downers Grove Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Downers Grove Township, and Downers Grove Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 12% (higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #131 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Downers Grove Township’s residents live in 35 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, Downers Grove Township has less expected damage per building than 83% of Illinois towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Downers Grove Township has lower expected damage per building than 83% (#67 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $61.0M, is the 202th largest of those 400.
Does Downers Grove Township flood? Yes: 210 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Downers Grove Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms34 claims · $975K
- Hurricane Ike1 claim · $5K
Downers Grove 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: DuPage County.The storms Downers Grove Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for DuPage County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Downers Grove Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201334 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, declared for DuPage County
- 198333 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 197919 flood claims paidThe year of Blizzards and Snowstorms, declared for DuPage County
DuPage County has had 13 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.
Old photos of Downers Grove Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Downers Grove Township archive →Downers Grove Township and its neighbors
Downers Grove Township is 5th of the 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodridge | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Westmont | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| Oak Brook | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 72 |
| Lemont Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Downers Grove Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 210 |
| Lisle Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 348 |
| Downers Grove | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 102 |
| York Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 516 |
| Hinsdale | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| Willow Springs | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Lyons Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 185 |
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 Downers Grove 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.
- 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.
- 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 Downers Grove Township
Is Downers Grove Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Downers Grove Township has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #131 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Downers Grove Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 210 claims in Downers Grove Township since 1978, $3.0M in all, or 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (34).
Is Downers Grove 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 DuPage County, 41% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Downers Grove Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Downers Grove Township’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 Downers Grove Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 34 paid, $975K.
Is Downers Grove Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Downers Grove Township’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Downers Grove Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Downers Grove 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.