Photo: artistmac · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Normal Township
Normal Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Normal Township yet. Flood insurance has paid 29 claims here since 1979.
What Normal 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.
Does Normal Township flood? Sometimes: 29 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Normal Township, from FEMA’s records.
Normal 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: McLean County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Normal Township
Disasters that paid out in Normal Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Normal Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$71K to Normal Township for repairs
- 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$33K to Normal Township for repairs
- 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$24K to Normal Township for repairs
McLean County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Normal Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Normal Township archive →Normal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Grove Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Bloomington | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 35 |
| Bloomington City Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 26 |
| Normal | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Towanda Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Hudson Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Normal 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 Normal Township
Does Normal Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 29 claims in Normal Township since 1979, $264K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Normal 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 McLean County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Normal Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Normal 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 Normal Township?
By FEMA money that reached Normal Township, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (2011): $71K to Normal Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Normal Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Normal 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.