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Forreston, IL Sign 02Photo: Ben Jacobson (Kranar Drogin) · CC BY 2.5
AHazard risk
Natural hazards in Forreston · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Forreston than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Forreston gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then tornadoes (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 64%Tornadoes 18%Hail 10%

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

less than 93%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A
in Illinois · lower than 93% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 11 declared for Ogle County
By hazard

What Forreston 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

64%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

18%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 12% of Forreston’s expected losses. Cold waves do 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 Forreston’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Forreston, and Forreston’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 18% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Forreston sits
Forreston
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Tornadoes18%Hail10%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Forreston: $731K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Forreston’s 1,435 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Forreston township (2,005 residents) and Maryland township (482 residents) and Brookville township (222 residents) and Adeline village (78 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 town’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 Forreston flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Forreston. 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

Forreston isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Ogle County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Forreston

Disasters that paid out in Forreston itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Forreston), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Village of Forreston for repairs
  2. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding23 households applied for aid$43K aid approved
  3. 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$4K to the Village of Forreston for repairs
  4. 2006Snow$4K to the Village of Forreston for repairs
  5. 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$2K to the Village of Forreston for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ForrestonOgle County only

Ogle County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Forreston after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Forreston archive →
Next door

Forreston and its neighbors

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

Maryland Township: not gradedForreston Township: hazard risk AMaryland TownshipForreston TownshipForreston
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Forreston TownshipAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding—
ForrestonAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding0
Maryland Township—440 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Forreston 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 ↗
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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Forreston

Is Forreston at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Forreston has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and tornadoes (18%). 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 Forreston 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 Ogle County, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Forreston?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Forreston’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 Forreston?

By FEMA money that reached Forreston, Severe Storms and Flooding (2010): 23 households applied for aid, $43K approved.

Is Forreston at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Forreston’s rate for it is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Forreston.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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