On FEMA’s figures, Melrose Township faces more hazard damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Melrose Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns, #693 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1979.
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 Melrose 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 Melrose Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Melrose Township, and Melrose Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #693 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Melrose Township’s residents live in 5 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, Melrose Township has more expected damage per building than 90% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Melrose Township: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Melrose Township flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Melrose Township, from FEMA’s records: 8.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms6 claims · $271K
Melrose 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: Adams County.The storms Melrose Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Adams County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Melrose Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20137 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, declared for Adams County
- 20086 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Adams County
- 20142 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Adams County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Melrose Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Melrose Township archive →Melrose Township and its neighbors
Melrose Township is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellington Township | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Quincy | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 52 |
| Riverside Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 99 |
| Melrose Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Quincy Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Fall Creek Township | — | 153 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Burton Township | — | 627 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 Melrose 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 Melrose Township
Is Melrose Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Melrose Township has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #693 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and tornadoes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Melrose Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Melrose Township since 1979, $487K in all, or 8.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (6).
Is Melrose 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 Adams County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Melrose Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Melrose 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 Melrose Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 6 paid, $271K.
Is Melrose Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Melrose Township’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Melrose Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Melrose 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.