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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ladd · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Ladd faces less hazard damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ladd gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 64%Tornadoes 19%Hail 6%

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

less than 71%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Illinois · lower than 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 1978 · $2K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 14 declared for Bureau County
By hazard

What Ladd 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

64%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Winter 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 cold waves at 16% of Ladd’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 Ladd’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ladd, and Ladd’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ladd sits
Ladd
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Ladd’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Tornadoes19%Hail6%Everything else12%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $473K a year in losses across Ladd: $292K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Ladd’s 1,263 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Dalzell village (663 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Ladd flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ladd, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims1978
19782026
1
paid claims since 1978
$2K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Bureau County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ladd

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding58 households applied for aid$100K aid approved$15K to the Village of Ladd for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$4K to the Village of Ladd for repairs
  3. 2006Snow$4K to the Village of Ladd for repairs
  4. 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$1K to the Village of Ladd for repairs
  5. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$4K to the Village of Ladd for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LaddBureau County only

Bureau County has had 14 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ladd archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Ladd 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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Ladd

Is Ladd at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ladd has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and tornadoes (19%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Ladd flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Ladd since 1978, $2K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Ladd 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 Bureau County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ladd?

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

By FEMA money that reached Ladd, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2013): 58 households applied for aid, $100K approved, and $15K to the Village of Ladd for repairs.

Is Ladd at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Ladd’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ladd.

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