Storms, floods and disasters in Pawnee Township
Pawnee Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Pawnee Township yet. Flood insurance has paid 61 claims here since 1978.
What Pawnee 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
Earthquakes
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.
Does Pawnee Township flood? Sometimes: 61 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pawnee Township, from FEMA’s records.
Pawnee 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: Sangamon County.The storms Pawnee Township remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Sangamon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pawnee Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200113 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 200210 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, declared for Sangamon County
- 19827 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Sangamon County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Pawnee Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pawnee Township archive →Pawnee Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Fork Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Divernon Township | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Bois D'Arc Township | — | 904 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Cotton Hill 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 Pawnee 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Pawnee Township
Does Pawnee Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 61 claims in Pawnee Township since 1978, $832K in all.
Is Pawnee 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 Sangamon County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pawnee Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pawnee Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pawnee Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pawnee 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.