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Ottawa IL Downtown1Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Ottawa · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Ottawa faces more hazard damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ottawa gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #661 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 168 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 92%Tornadoes 4%Earthquakes 2%

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

more than 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#661 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
C−#661 of 768
in Illinois · higher than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
168
paid since 1979 · $3.0M
Flooded more than once
16
properties · 10 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
40% off
Community discount (class 2)

What stands out about Ottawa’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

168 paid flood claims since 1979$3.0M in all; 16 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 84% of U.S. towns.40% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Ottawa residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 2).FEMA-funded flood-proofing68 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 1 building floodproofed; 1 flood-prone home bought out and moved with FEMA grants.Remembers 199735 flood claims were paid for 1997 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Ottawa 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

92%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Hail Ice storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 24% of Ottawa’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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Ottawa’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ottawa, and Ottawa’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ottawa sits
Ottawa
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #661 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Ottawa’s residents live in 8 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Tornadoes4%Everything else4%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ottawa has more expected damage per building than 86% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.9M a year in losses across Ottawa: $7.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 8 census tracts by where Ottawa’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Ottawa flood? Yes: 168 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ottawa, from FEMA’s records: 20.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 12 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 5 claims1982: 15 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 2 claims1985: 31 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 26 claims1997: 35 claims1998: 4 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 3 claims2008: 13 claims2009: 2 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 15 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 3 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198519961997
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-spring storms15 claims · $546K
  • Hurricane Ike12 claims · $266K
168
paid claims since 1979
$3.0M
paid to owners
16
homes flooded more than once
$18K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (10)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount40% off flood insurance

Ottawa is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 2) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: La Salle County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
68flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1building floodproofed
1flood-prone home bought out and moved
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ottawa

Disasters that paid out in Ottawa itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Ottawa), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding221 households applied for aid$516K aid approved$69K to the City of Ottawa for repairs15 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$24K to the City of Ottawa for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding66 households applied for aid$283K aid approved$117K to the City of Ottawa for repairs13 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding269 households applied for aid$570K aid approved$87K to the City of Ottawa for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2006Snow$13K to the City of Ottawa for repairs
  6. 2004Severe Storms and Tornadoes7 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Show all 8
  1. 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$15K to the City of Ottawa for repairs
  2. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$20K to the City of Ottawa for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OttawaLa Salle County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ottawa archive →
Next door

Ottawa and its neighbors

Ottawa is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Dayton: not gradedNaplate: not gradedOttawa Township: hazard risk C−Wallace Township: not gradedRutland Township: hazard risk C−Dayton Township: hazard risk B+DaytonNaplateOttawa TownshipWallace TownshipRutland TownshipDayton TownshipOttawa
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Dayton TownshipB+less damage than 68%river and rain flooding—
Ottawa TownshipC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding128
Rutland TownshipC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding8
OttawaC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding168
Dayton—271 residents; we grade 1,000+
Naplate—589 residents; we grade 1,000+
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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Ottawa 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 ↗
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.
  • Ottawa residents get 40% off flood insurance.
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 Ottawa

Is Ottawa at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ottawa has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #661 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Ottawa flood?

Flood insurance has paid 168 claims in Ottawa since 1979, $3.0M in all, or 20.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 16 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (15).

Is Ottawa 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?

Ottawa is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 2), which takes 40% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. 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?

By FEMA money that reached Ottawa, Severe Storms and Flooding (2007): 269 households applied for aid, $570K approved, and $87K to the City of Ottawa for repairs. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 15 paid, $546K.

Is Ottawa at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and Ottawa’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ottawa.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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