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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Greenwood Township · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Greenwood Township than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Greenwood Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #62 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then tornadoes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2009.

River and rain flooding 80%Tornadoes 16%Hail 2%

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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#62 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
A−#62 of 768
in Illinois · lower than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 2009 · $34K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 13 declared for McHenry County
By hazard

What Greenwood 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

80%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning Ice storms 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 26% of Greenwood Township’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 Greenwood Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Greenwood Township, and Greenwood Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 16% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Greenwood Township sits
Greenwood Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #62 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Greenwood Township’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding80%Tornadoes16%Everything else4%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Greenwood Township has less expected damage per building than 92% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.2M a year in losses across Greenwood Township: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Greenwood Township covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Greenwood Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2009

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Greenwood Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20092013
20092026
3
paid claims since 2009
$34K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Greenwood 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.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Greenwood Township

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

  1. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$22K to Greenwood Township for repairs
  2. 2006Snow$9K to Greenwood Township for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Greenwood TownshipMcHenry County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Greenwood Township archive →
Next door

Greenwood Township and its neighbors

Greenwood Township is 6th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Dorr Township: hazard risk A+McHenry Township: hazard risk C−Hartland Township: hazard risk AWoodstock: hazard risk AHebron Township: hazard risk ABull Valley: hazard risk ADorr TownshipMcHenry TownshipHartland TownshipWoodstockHebron TownshipBull ValleyGreenwood Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Dorr TownshipA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding11
WoodstockAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding14
Hartland TownshipAless damage than 90%river and rain flooding3
Bull ValleyAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding—
Hebron TownshipAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding—
Greenwood TownshipA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding3
McHenry TownshipC−more damage than 78%river and rain flooding173

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 Greenwood 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.

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 Greenwood Township

Is Greenwood Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Greenwood Township has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #62 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and tornadoes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Greenwood Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Greenwood Township since 2009, $34K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Greenwood 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 Greenwood Township?

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

By FEMA money that reached Greenwood Township, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (2011): $22K to Greenwood Township for repairs.

Is Greenwood Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Greenwood Township’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Greenwood Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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