Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Joliet Township than in 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Joliet Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #510 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%), then tornadoes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 635 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Joliet Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Joliet 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
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 Joliet Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Joliet Township, and Joliet Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
C #510 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Joliet Township’s residents live in 28 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, Joliet Township has more expected damage per building than 66% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $40.4M a year in losses across Joliet Township: $23.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Joliet Township flood? Yes: 635 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Joliet Township, from FEMA’s records: 19.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike5 claims · $23K
- The Mid-spring storms3 claims · $21K
Joliet 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: Will County.The storms Joliet Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Will County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Joliet Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 1996274 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Will County
- 1981228 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes, declared for Will County
- 198251 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Will County has had 16 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.
Old photos of Joliet Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Joliet Township archive →Joliet Township and its neighbors
Joliet Township is 7th of the 7 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lockport Township | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 63 |
| Fairmont | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Jackson Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| New Lenox Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 78 |
| Troy Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 111 |
| Joliet | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 630 |
| Joliet Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 635 |
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 Joliet 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.
- 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 Joliet Township
Is Joliet Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Joliet Township has higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #510 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Joliet Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 635 claims in Joliet Township since 1978, $3.1M in all, or 19.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (5).
Is Joliet 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 Will County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Joliet Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Joliet 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 Joliet Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 5 paid, $23K.
Is Joliet Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Joliet Township’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Joliet Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Joliet 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.