Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Hamburg

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
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Hamburg · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Hamburg

Hamburg isn’t graded for hazard risk: Hamburg has 68 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 112 claims here since 1978.

Flood claims
112
paid since 1978 · $1.3M
Flooded more than once
6
properties · 2 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
6
of 22 declared for Calhoun County
By hazard

What Hamburg 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

92%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice 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 heat waves at 14% of Hamburg’s expected losses. Heat 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Hamburg flood? Yes: 112 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hamburg, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 10 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 4 claims1983: 6 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 4 claims1986: 17 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 2 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 32 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 7 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 16 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 5 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 5 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims198619932008
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Midwest Flooding20 claims · $457K
  • The Mid-spring storms3 claims · $39K
112
paid claims since 1978
$1.3M
paid to owners
6
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Calhoun County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
16flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hamburg

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$18K to the Village of Hamburg for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding14 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$32K to the Village of Hamburg for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding23 households applied for aid$35K aid approved$21K to the Village of Hamburg for repairs16 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$8K to the Village of Hamburg for repairs
  5. 2001Flooding$21K to the Village of Hamburg for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
  6. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$1K to the Village of Hamburg for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HamburgCalhoun County only

Calhoun County has had 22 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hamburg archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Hamburg 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 ↗
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 Hamburg

Does Hamburg flood?

Flood insurance has paid 112 claims in Hamburg since 1978, $1.3M in all. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (20).

Is Hamburg 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 Calhoun County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hamburg?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hamburg, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): 23 households applied for aid, $35K approved, and $21K to the Village of Hamburg for repairs. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 20 paid, $457K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hamburg.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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