More hazard damage per building is expected in Grant Township than in 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grant Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #604 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 277 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Grant Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Grant 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 Grant Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Grant Township, and Grant Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #604 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Grant Township’s residents live in 5 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, Grant Township has more expected damage per building than 79% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $13.5M a year in losses across Grant Township: $10.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Grant Township flood? Yes: 277 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Grant Township, from FEMA’s records: 23.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms53 claims · $1.3M
- The Midwest Flooding5 claims · $43K
- Tropical Storm Erin2 claims · $17K
Grant 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: Lake County.The storms Grant Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Lake County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Grant Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201767 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 201355 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, declared for Lake County
- 197926 flood claims paidThe year of Blizzards and Snowstorms, declared for Lake County
Lake County has had 14 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 Grant Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Grant Township archive →Grant Township and its neighbors
Grant Township is 8th of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volo | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Round Lake | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Lake Villa Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| Wauconda Township | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Avon Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 148 |
| Antioch Township | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 249 |
| Round Lake Beach | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 112 |
| Grant Township | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 277 |
| McHenry Township | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 173 |
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 Grant 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 Grant Township
Is Grant Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grant Township has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #604 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%) and tornadoes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Grant Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 277 claims in Grant Township since 1978, $4.2M in all, or 23.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (53).
Is Grant 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 Lake County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Grant Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Grant 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 Grant Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 53 paid, $1.3M.
Is Grant Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Grant Township’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grant Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Grant 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.