Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Ottawa Township faces more hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ottawa Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #608 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 128 claims here since 1979.
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 Ottawa Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Ottawa 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 Ottawa Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ottawa Township, and Ottawa Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 5% (higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #608 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ottawa Township’s residents live in 5 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, Ottawa Township has more expected damage per building than 79% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.8M a year in losses across Ottawa Township: $4.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ottawa Township flood? Yes: 128 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ottawa Township, from FEMA’s records: 24.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike9 claims · $219K
- The Mid-spring storms8 claims · $349K
Ottawa 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: La Salle County.The storms Ottawa Township remembers
None of the 17 disasters declared for La Salle County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ottawa Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198527 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for La Salle County
- 199727 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 199623 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for La Salle County
La Salle County has had 17 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 Ottawa Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ottawa Township archive →Ottawa Township and its neighbors
Ottawa Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utica Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Dayton Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ottawa Township | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 128 |
| Rutland Township | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Ottawa | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 168 |
| South Ottawa Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Wallace Township | — | 623 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa Township
Is Ottawa Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ottawa Township has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #608 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%) and tornadoes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ottawa Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 128 claims in Ottawa Township since 1979, $2.0M in all, or 24.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (9).
Is Ottawa 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 La Salle County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ottawa Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ottawa 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 Ottawa Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 9 paid, $219K.
Is Ottawa Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Ottawa Township’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ottawa Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ottawa 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.