Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Elsah Township faces more hazard damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elsah Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%). Flood insurance has paid 244 claims here since 1979.
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 Elsah Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Elsah 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
Earthquakes
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 Elsah Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elsah Township, and Elsah Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 2%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Elsah Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Elsah Township: $520K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Elsah Township flood? Yes: 244 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elsah Township, from FEMA’s records: 245.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Midwest Flooding48 claims · $1.1M
- The Early winter storms5 claims · $20K
- The Mid-spring storms2 claims · $13K
Elsah 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: Jersey County.The storms Elsah Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for Jersey County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Elsah Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199351 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Jersey County
- 198343 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Jersey County
- 198636 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Jersey County
Jersey County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Elsah Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elsah Township archive →Elsah Township and its neighbors
Elsah Township is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Godfrey | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Mississippi Township | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Elsah Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 244 |
| Quarry Township | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | — |
| West Alton | — | 467 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Elsah 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Elsah Township
Is Elsah Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elsah Township has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and earthquakes (8%). 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.
Does Elsah Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 244 claims in Elsah Township since 1979, $3.0M in all, or 245.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (48).
Is Elsah 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 Jersey County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Elsah Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elsah 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 Elsah Township?
By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 48 paid, $1.1M.
Is Elsah Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Elsah Township’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elsah Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Elsah 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.