Photo: Jauerback · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Oswego Township as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oswego Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns, #284 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1996.
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 Oswego 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 Oswego Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oswego Township, and Oswego Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 15% (higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #284 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Oswego Township’s residents live in 11 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, Oswego Township has less expected damage per building than 63% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $30.6M a year in losses across Oswego Township: $16.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oswego Township flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oswego Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms2 claims · $25K
- Hurricane Ike1 claim · $9K
Oswego 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: Kendall County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Oswego Township
Disasters that paid out in Oswego Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Oswego Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$18K to Oswego Township for repairs
Kendall County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Oswego Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oswego Township archive →Oswego Township and its neighbors
Oswego Township is 4th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Na-Au-Say Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Kendall Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Aurora Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 246 |
| Oswego Township | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Wheatland Township | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Bristol Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Oswego 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 Oswego Township
Is Oswego Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oswego Township has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #284 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Oswego Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Oswego Township since 1996, $224K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (2).
Is Oswego 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 Kendall County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oswego Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oswego 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 Oswego Township?
By FEMA money that reached Oswego Township, Il-winter Storm 1/1/99 (1999): $18K to Oswego Township for repairs. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 2 paid, $25K.
Is Oswego Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Oswego Township’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oswego Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oswego 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.