Photo: Ben Jacobson (Kranar Drogin) · CC BY 2.5FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Pecatonica Township than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pecatonica Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #29 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then tornadoes (16%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Pecatonica 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
Hail
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 Pecatonica Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pecatonica Township, and Pecatonica Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 16% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
A #29 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pecatonica 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, Pecatonica Township has less expected damage per building than 96% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Pecatonica Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pecatonica Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pecatonica Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pecatonica 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 Pecatonica Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Winnebago County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pecatonica Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
Pecatonica Township and its neighbors
Pecatonica Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pecatonica Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Westlake Village | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Durand Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Burritt Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Rock Run Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ridott Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Seward Township | — | 894 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 Pecatonica 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Pecatonica Township
Is Pecatonica Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pecatonica Township has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #29 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and tornadoes (16%). 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.
Is Pecatonica 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 Pecatonica Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pecatonica Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pecatonica Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Pecatonica Township’s rate for it is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pecatonica Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pecatonica 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.