Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Guilford Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Guilford Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Guilford Township faces less hazard damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Guilford Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then tornadoes (16%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 69%Tornadoes 16%Hail 10%

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 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Illinois · lower than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
69% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 13 declared for Jo Daviess County
By hazard

What Guilford 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

69%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 17 years in the area

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes Landslides top 3% Lightning Wildfire Hurricanes Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves
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 13% of Guilford 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 Guilford Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Guilford Township, and Guilford Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 16% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Guilford Township sits
Guilford Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Guilford Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding69%Tornadoes16%Hail10%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Guilford Township: $962K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Guilford Township covers 2 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 Guilford Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Guilford Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Guilford 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: Jo Daviess County.
Disasters

The storms Guilford Township remembers

None of the 13 disasters declared for Jo Daviess County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Guilford Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Guilford TownshipJo Daviess County only

Jo Daviess County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Next door

Guilford Township and its neighbors

Guilford Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

East Galena Township: hazard risk C+Thompson Township: not gradedElizabeth Township: not gradedThe Galena Territory: hazard risk B+Scales Mound Township: not gradedCouncil Hill Township: not gradedEast Galena TownshipThompson TownshipElizabeth TownshipThe Galena TerritoryScales Mound TownshipCouncil Hill TownshipGuilford Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Guilford TownshipB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding0
The Galena TerritoryB+less damage than 66%river and rain flooding—
East Galena TownshipC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding18
Thompson Township—999 residents; we grade 1,000+
Elizabeth Township—900 residents; we grade 1,000+
Scales Mound Township—672 residents; we grade 1,000+
Council Hill Township—162 residents; we grade 1,000+

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 Guilford 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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Guilford Township

Is Guilford Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Guilford Township has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and tornadoes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Guilford 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 Jo Daviess County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Guilford Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Guilford Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Guilford Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Guilford Township’s rate for it is lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Guilford Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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