Photo: Miroslaw Mucha · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Niles Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Niles Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #334 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 313 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Niles Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Niles 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 Niles Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Niles Township, and Niles Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #334 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Niles Township’s residents live in 23 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, Niles Township has less expected damage per building than 57% of Illinois towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Niles Township has lower expected damage per building than 60% (#160 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $56.9M, is the 216th largest of those 400.
Does Niles Township flood? Yes: 313 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Niles Township, from FEMA’s records: 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms23 claims · $421K
- Hurricane Ike17 claims · $252K
Niles 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: Cook County.The storms Niles Township remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Cook County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Niles Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 1981125 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes, declared for Cook County
- 201331 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, declared for Cook County
- 198229 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Cook County has had 21 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.
Old photos of Niles Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Niles Township archive →Niles Township and its neighbors
Niles Township is 5th of the 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evanston | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Niles | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 58 |
| Skokie | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 240 |
| Lincolnwood | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
| Niles Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 313 |
| Chicago | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 550 |
| New Trier Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 352 |
| Maine Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 1,481 |
| Northfield Township | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 333 |
| Wilmette | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 95 |
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 Niles 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 Niles Township
Is Niles Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Niles Township has higher expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #334 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Niles Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 313 claims in Niles Township since 1978, $2.0M in all, or 7.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (23).
Is Niles 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 Cook County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Niles Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Niles 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 Niles Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 23 paid, $421K.
Is Niles Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Niles Township’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Niles Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Niles 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.