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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Gardner · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Gardner than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gardner 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 (87%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1998.

River and rain flooding 87%Tornadoes 8%Strong wind 3%

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 83%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 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
6
paid since 1998 · $31K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 12 declared for Grundy County
By hazard

What Gardner 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

87%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Hail Wildfire Ice storms Lightning Hurricanes 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 37% of Gardner’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 Gardner’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gardner, and Gardner’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 3%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Gardner sits
Gardner
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Tornadoes8%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Gardner: $756K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Gardner’s 1,366 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Greenfield township (991 residents) and Braceville village (724 residents) and South Wilmington village (710 residents) and East Brooklyn village (80 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 Gardner flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1998

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Gardner, from FEMA’s records: 10.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1998: 2 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 3 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199820082015
19982026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ike1 claim · $3K
6
paid claims since 1998
$31K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Grundy County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Gardner

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$2K to the Village of Gardner for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$4K to the Village of Gardner for repairs
  5. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$4K to the Village of Gardner for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GardnerGrundy County only

Grundy County has had 12 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Gardner archive →
Next door

Gardner and its neighbors

Gardner is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Garfield Township: hazard risk C−Greenfield Township: hazard risk C−Garfield TownshipGreenfield TownshipGardner
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Greenfield TownshipC−more damage than 83%river and rain flooding20
GardnerC−more damage than 83%river and rain flooding6
Garfield TownshipC−more damage than 83%river and rain flooding—

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 Gardner 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 ↗
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 Gardner

Is Gardner at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gardner 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 (87%) 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.

Does Gardner flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Gardner since 1998, $31K in all, or 10.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (1).

Is Gardner 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 Grundy County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Gardner?

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

By FEMA money that reached Gardner, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2013): 2 households applied for aid, $8K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 1 paid, $3K.

Is Gardner at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Gardner’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gardner.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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