Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to East Oakland Township

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
Dr. Hiram Rutherford House and OfficeDr. Hiram Rutherford House and Office · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in East Oakland Township · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in East Oakland Township than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East Oakland Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then earthquakes (11%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 79%Earthquakes 11%Tornadoes 6%

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

more than 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Illinois · higher than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 6 declared for Coles County
By hazard

What East Oakland 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

79%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Hurricanes Winter storms Ice storms Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 22% of East Oakland Township’s expected losses. Drought does 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 East Oakland Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in East Oakland Township, and East Oakland Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 11% (higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts).

Where East Oakland Township sits
East Oakland Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of East Oakland Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Earthquakes11%Tornadoes6%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across East Oakland Township: $809K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of East Oakland Township’s 1,229 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Oakland city (739 residents) and Humboldt village (361 residents) and Seven Hickory township (312 residents) and Morgan township (304 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the township’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does East Oakland Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in East Oakland Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

East Oakland 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: Coles County.
Disasters

The storms East Oakland Township remembers

None of the 6 disasters declared for Coles County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching East Oakland Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in East Oakland TownshipColes County only

Coles County has had 6 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Next door

East Oakland Township and its neighbors

East Oakland Township is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Morgan Township: not gradedSargent Township: not gradedAshmore Township: hazard risk C−Embarrass Township: not gradedKansas Township: not gradedMorgan TownshipSargent TownshipAshmore TownshipEmbarrass TownshipKansas TownshipEast Oakland Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Ashmore TownshipC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding—
East Oakland TownshipC−more damage than 82%river and rain flooding0
Morgan Township—325 residents; we grade 1,000+
Sargent Township—355 residents; we grade 1,000+
Embarrass Township—458 residents; we grade 1,000+
Kansas 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what East Oakland 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.

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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 East Oakland Township

Is East Oakland Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East Oakland Township has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and earthquakes (11%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is East Oakland 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 Coles County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in East Oakland Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for East Oakland Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is East Oakland Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and East Oakland Township’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in East Oakland Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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