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Lake Street at dusk, Oak ParkPhoto: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Oak Park Township · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Oak Park Township

Oak Park Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Oak Park Township yet. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1997.

Flood claims
1
paid since 1997 · $2K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 21 declared for Cook County
By hazard

What Oak Park 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

91%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Hurricanes Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingWildfireAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 24% of Oak Park Township’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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Oak Park Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1997

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oak Park Township, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims1997
19972026
1
paid claims since 1997
$2K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$2K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Oak Park 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.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oak Park Township

Disasters that paid out in Oak Park Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Oak Park Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Floodng97 households applied for aid$92K aid approved
  2. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding32 households applied for aid$109K aid approved
  3. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding530 households applied for aid$1.8M aid approved
  4. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding146 households applied for aid$183K aid approved
  5. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding537 households applied for aid$983K aid approved
  6. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding54 households applied for aid$66K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Oak Park TownshipCook County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Oak Park Township archive →
Next door

Oak Park Township and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Oak Park: hazard risk C−Chicago: hazard risk B−Oak ParkChicagoOak Park Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
ChicagoB−more damage than 51%river and rain flooding550
Oak ParkC−more damage than 78%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 Oak Park 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.

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 ↗
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 Oak Park Township

Does Oak Park Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Oak Park Township since 1997, $2K in all.

Is Oak Park 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 Oak Park Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oak Park 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 Oak Park Township?

By FEMA money that reached Oak Park Township, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): 530 households applied for aid, $1.8M approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oak Park Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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