Storms, floods and disasters in Penn Township
Penn Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Penn Township has 39 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Penn 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 Penn Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Penn Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Penn 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: Shelby County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Penn Township
Disasters that paid out in Penn Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Penn Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$24K to Penn Township for repairs
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$3K to Penn Township for repairs
- 2006Snow$4K to Penn Township for repairs
- 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$3K to Penn Township for repairs
- 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$4K to Penn Township for repairs
Shelby County has had 7 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 Penn Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Penn Township archive →Penn 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Zion Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Pickaway Township | — | 165 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Moweaqua Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Flat Branch Township | — | 315 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 Penn 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 Penn Township
Is Penn 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 Shelby County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Penn Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Penn 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 Penn Township?
By FEMA money that reached Penn Township, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2013): $24K to Penn Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Penn Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Penn 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.