Photo: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Elgin Township
Elgin Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Elgin Township yet. Flood insurance has paid 140 claims here since 1978.
What Elgin 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.
Does Elgin Township flood? Yes: 140 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elgin Township, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ike31 claims · $714K
- The Mid-spring storms22 claims · $386K
- The Midwest Flooding2 claims · $2K
Elgin 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: Kane County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Elgin Township
Disasters that paid out in Elgin Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Elgin Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding95 households applied for aid$56K aid approved22 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding165 households applied for aid$344K aid approved35 flood claims paid that year
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding29 households applied for aid$33K aid approved33 flood claims paid that year
Kane 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 Elgin Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elgin Township archive →Elgin Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dundee Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 56 |
| Rutland Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hanover Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Plato Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| St. Charles Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 89 |
| Elgin | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 115 |
| South Elgin | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 48 |
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 Elgin 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 Elgin Township
Does Elgin Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 140 claims in Elgin Township since 1978, $2.1M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (31).
Is Elgin 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 Kane County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Elgin Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elgin 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 Elgin Township?
By FEMA money that reached Elgin Township, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): 165 households applied for aid, $344K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 31 paid, $714K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elgin Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Elgin 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.