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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Germantown Hills · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Germantown Hills faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Germantown Hills gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #429 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2008.

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 59%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#429 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
C+#429 of 768
in Illinois · higher than 59% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2008 · $41K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 11 declared for Woodford County
By hazard

What Germantown Hills 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
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Hail Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire 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 20% of Germantown Hills’ 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 Germantown Hills’ grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Germantown Hills, and Germantown Hills’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Germantown Hills sits
Germantown Hills
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #429 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Germantown Hills’ 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%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Germantown Hills has more expected damage per building than 56% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Germantown Hills: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Germantown Hills’ 3,412 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Germantown Hills flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Germantown Hills, from FEMA’s records: 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 1 claim2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200820092019
20082026
3
paid claims since 2008
$41K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$14K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Woodford County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Germantown Hills

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$10K to the Village of Germantown Hills for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$1K to the Village of Germantown Hills for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2006Severe Winter Storm$17K to the Village of Germantown Hills for repairs
  5. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$5K to the Village of Germantown Hills for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Germantown HillsWoodford County only

Woodford County has had 11 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 Germantown Hills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Germantown Hills archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Germantown Hills 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 Germantown Hills

Is Germantown Hills at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Germantown Hills has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #429 of 768 in Illinois. 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 Germantown Hills flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Germantown Hills since 2008, $41K in all, or 2.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Germantown Hills 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 Woodford County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Germantown Hills?

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

By FEMA money that reached Germantown Hills, Severe Winter Storm (2006): $17K to the Village of Germantown Hills for repairs.

Is Germantown Hills at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Germantown Hills’ rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Germantown Hills.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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