More hazard damage per building is expected in Owen Township than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Owen Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #565 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 70 claims here since 1978.
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 Owen 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 Owen Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Owen Township, and Owen Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
C #565 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Owen Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Owen Township has more expected damage per building than 74% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Owen Township: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Owen Township flood? Sometimes: 70 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Owen Township, from FEMA’s records: 47.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms3 claims · $47K
Owen 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: Winnebago County.The storms Owen Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Winnebago County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Owen Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200821 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Winnebago County
- 201916 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19787 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Winnebago County has had 16 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 Owen Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Owen Township archive →Owen Township and its neighbors
Owen Township is 5th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loves Park | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 70 |
| Roscoe Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 108 |
| Rockford | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 562 |
| Rockton | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Owen Township | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 70 |
| Rockton Township | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Harlem Township | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 488 |
| Machesney Park | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 378 |
| Rockford Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Owen 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 Owen Township
Is Owen Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Owen Township has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #565 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (8%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Owen Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 70 claims in Owen Township since 1978, $1.8M in all, or 47.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (3).
Is Owen 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 Winnebago County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Owen Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Owen 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 Owen Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 3 paid, $47K.
Is Owen Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Owen Township’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Owen Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Owen 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.