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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Mount Zion · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Mount Zion than in 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Zion 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 (77%), then tornadoes (10%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 77%Tornadoes 10%Earthquakes 8%

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

more than 66%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#510 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
C#510 of 768
in Illinois · higher than 66% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 8 declared for Macon County
By hazard

What Mount Zion 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

77%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area

Earthquakes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Ice storms Winter storms Wildfire Lightning Hurricanes 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 15% of Mount Zion’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 Mount Zion’s grade

River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mount Zion, and Mount Zion’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Mount Zion sits
Mount Zion
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #510 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Mount Zion’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding77%Tornadoes10%Earthquakes8%Everything else5%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Mount Zion has more expected damage per building than 66% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.9M a year in losses across Mount Zion: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Mount Zion covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Mount Zion flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mount Zion. 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

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

Insurance rates: Macon County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mount Zion

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$14K to the Village of Mount Zion for repairs
  2. 2006Severe Winter Storm$5K to the Village of Mount Zion for repairs
  3. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$4K to the Village of Mount Zion for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Mount ZionMacon County only

Macon County has had 8 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Mount Zion archive →
Next door

Mount Zion and its neighbors

Mount Zion is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Decatur: hazard risk C+Long Creek Township: hazard risk C+South Wheatland Township: hazard risk C−Long Creek: hazard risk B−DecaturLong Creek TownshipSouth Wheatland TownshipLong CreekMount Zion
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Long CreekB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding—
Long Creek TownshipC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding10
DecaturC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding110
Mount ZionCmore damage than 66%river and rain flooding0
South Wheatland TownshipC−more damage than 75%river and rain flooding1

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 Mount Zion 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 Mount Zion

Is Mount Zion at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mount Zion 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 (77%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Mount Zion 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 Macon County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Mount Zion?

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

By FEMA money that reached Mount Zion, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): $14K to the Village of Mount Zion for repairs.

Is Mount Zion at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Mount Zion’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mount Zion.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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