FEMA puts Essex Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Essex Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Essex 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 Essex Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Essex Township, and Essex Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts).
C higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Essex Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Essex Township: $865K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Essex Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Essex Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Essex 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: Kankakee County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Essex Township
Disasters that paid out in Essex Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Essex Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$4K to Essex Township for repairs
Kankakee County has had 4 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Essex Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Essex Township archive →Essex Township and its neighbors
Essex Township is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salina Township | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Essex Township | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Greenfield Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Norton Township | — | 925 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 Essex 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 Essex Township
Is Essex Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Essex Township has higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and tornadoes (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.
Is Essex 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 Kankakee County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Essex Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Essex 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 Essex Township?
By FEMA money that reached Essex Township, Il-winter Storm 1/1/99 (1999): $4K to Essex Township for repairs.
Is Essex Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Essex Township’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Essex Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Essex 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.