Photo: Nyttend · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Mattoon Township
Mattoon Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Mattoon Township yet. Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1999.
What Mattoon 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.
Does Mattoon Township flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1999
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mattoon Township, from FEMA’s records.
Mattoon 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: Coles County.The storms Mattoon Township remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Coles County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mattoon Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199910 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20182 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20212 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes, declared for Coles County
Coles County has had 6 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 Mattoon Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mattoon Township archive →Mattoon Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mattoon | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Lafayette Township | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| North Okaw Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Paradise Township | — | 925 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Whitley Township | — | 615 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 Mattoon 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 Mattoon Township
Does Mattoon Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Mattoon Township since 1999, $131K in all.
Is Mattoon 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 Coles County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mattoon Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mattoon Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mattoon Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mattoon 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.