On FEMA’s figures, Harter Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harter Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #413 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%), then earthquakes (39%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2015.
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 Harter 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
Earthquakes
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 Harter Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Harter Township, and Harter Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #413 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Harter Township’s residents live in 3 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, Harter Township has more expected damage per building than 54% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.3M a year in losses across Harter Township: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Harter Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2015
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Harter Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Harter 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: Clay County.The storms Harter Township remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Clay County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Harter Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20152 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20201 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Clay County has had 2 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 Harter Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Harter Township archive →Harter Township and its neighbors
Harter Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harter Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Louisville Township | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Songer Township | — | 131 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Stanford Township | — | 491 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Keith Township | — | 302 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Xenia Township | — | 718 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.
Get ready for what Harter 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Harter Township
Is Harter Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harter Township has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #413 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (45%) and earthquakes (39%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Harter Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Harter Township since 2015, $29K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Harter 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 Clay County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Harter Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Harter Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Harter Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Harter Township’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harter Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Harter 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.