Photo: Dual Freq · CC BY 2.5FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Hensley Township than in 60% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hensley Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2008.
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 Hensley 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
Earthquakes
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 Hensley Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hensley Township, and Hensley Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 14% (higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts).
B lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hensley Township’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $650K a year in losses across Hensley Township: $401K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hensley Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hensley Township, from FEMA’s records: 7.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike1 claim · $675
Hensley 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: Champaign County.The storms Hensley Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Champaign County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hensley Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20083 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Champaign County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Hensley Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hensley Township archive →Hensley Township and its neighbors
Hensley Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hensley Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Champaign | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 105 |
| Champaign City Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 98 |
| Champaign Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Mahomet | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Mahomet Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Somer Township | — | 892 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Condit Township | — | 445 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 Hensley 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Hensley Township
Is Hensley Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hensley Township has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Hensley Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Hensley Township since 2008, $43K in all, or 7.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (1).
Is Hensley 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 Champaign County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hensley Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hensley 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 Hensley Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 1 paid, $675.
Is Hensley Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Hensley Township’s rate for it is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hensley Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hensley 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.