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BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Minonk · FEMA

FEMA puts Minonk’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minonk gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 79%Tornadoes 10%Earthquakes 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 61%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 61% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 11 declared for Woodford County
By hazard

What Minonk 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

79%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail 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 19% of Minonk’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 Minonk’s grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Minonk, and Minonk’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Minonk sits
Minonk
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Tornadoes10%Earthquakes6%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Minonk: $621K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Minonk’s 1,928 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Minonk township (2,130 residents) and Clayton township (630 residents) and Benson village (412 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 Minonk flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Minonk. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Woodford County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Minonk

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding40 households applied for aid$107K aid approved$4K to the City of Minonk for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$4K to the City of Minonk for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding23 households applied for aid$56K aid approved
  4. 2006Severe Winter Storm$6K to the City of Minonk for repairs
  5. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$3K to the City of Minonk for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MinonkWoodford County only

Woodford County has had 11 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 Minonk after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Minonk archive →
Next door

Minonk and its neighbors

Minonk has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Minonk Township: not gradedClayton Township: not gradedMinonk TownshipClayton TownshipMinonk
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MinonkBless damage than 61%river and rain flooding0
Minonk Township—not graded yet
Clayton Township—569 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Minonk 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 ↗
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 Minonk

Is Minonk at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Minonk has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (10%). 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.

Is Minonk 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 Woodford County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Minonk?

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

By FEMA money that reached Minonk, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2013): 40 households applied for aid, $107K approved, and $4K to the City of Minonk for repairs.

Is Minonk at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Minonk’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Minonk.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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