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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Indian Head Park · FEMA

FEMA puts Indian Head Park’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Indian Head Park gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #573 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2014.

River and rain flooding 90%Tornadoes 7%Earthquakes 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

more than 73%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#573 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
C#573 of 768
in Illinois · higher than 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2014 · $4K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 21 declared for Cook County
By hazard

What Indian Head Park 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

90%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
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 19% of Indian Head Park’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 Indian Head Park’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Indian Head Park, and Indian Head Park’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 7% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Indian Head Park sits
Indian Head Park
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #573 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Indian Head Park’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 flooding90%Tornadoes7%Everything else3%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Indian Head Park has more expected damage per building than 75% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.9M a year in losses across Indian Head Park: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Indian Head Park 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 Indian Head Park flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2014

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Indian Head Park, 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
2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2014
20142026
1
paid claims since 2014
$4K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$4K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Cook County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Indian Head Park

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$600 aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$26K to the Village of Indian Head Park for repairs
  3. 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$6K to the Village of Indian Head Park for repairs
  4. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$8K to the Village of Indian Head Park for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Indian Head ParkCook County only

Cook County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Indian Head Park archive →
Next door

Indian Head Park and its neighbors

Indian Head Park is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Burr Ridge: hazard risk BCountryside: hazard risk A−Hinsdale: hazard risk C+Western Springs: hazard risk C−Burr RidgeCountrysideHinsdaleWestern SpringsIndian Head Park
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
CountrysideA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding8
Burr RidgeBless damage than 56%river and rain flooding18
HinsdaleC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding53
Indian Head ParkCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding1
Western SpringsC−more damage than 82%river and rain flooding19

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 Indian Head Park 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 Indian Head Park

Is Indian Head Park at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Indian Head Park has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #573 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%) and tornadoes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Indian Head Park flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Indian Head Park since 2014, $4K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Indian Head Park 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 Cook County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Indian Head Park?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Indian Head Park’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 Indian Head Park?

By FEMA money that reached Indian Head Park, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (2011): $26K to the Village of Indian Head Park for repairs.

Is Indian Head Park at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Indian Head Park’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Indian Head Park.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Indian Head Park’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.