FEMA puts Grafton Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grafton Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #214 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1982.
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 Grafton 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 Grafton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Grafton Township, and Grafton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).
B #214 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Grafton Township’s residents live in 12 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Grafton Township has less expected damage per building than 72% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $24.6M a year in losses across Grafton Township: $16.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Grafton Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Grafton Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Grafton 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: McHenry County.The storms Grafton Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for McHenry County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Grafton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19931 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for McHenry County
- 20101 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
McHenry County has had 13 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.
Old photos of Grafton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Grafton Township archive →Grafton Township and its neighbors
Grafton Township is 5th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorr Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Crystal Lake | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Rutland Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Algonquin | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 48 |
| Grafton Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Huntley | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Algonquin Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 192 |
| Coral Township | B−less damage than 51% | 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.
Get ready for what Grafton 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 Grafton Township
Is Grafton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grafton Township has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #214 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Grafton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Grafton Township since 1982, $12K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Grafton 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 McHenry County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Grafton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Grafton Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Grafton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Grafton Township’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grafton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Grafton 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.