More hazard damage per building is expected in Pistakee Highlands than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pistakee Highlands gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #751 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 90 claims here since 1979.
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 Pistakee Highlands 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
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 Pistakee Highlands’ grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pistakee Highlands, and Pistakee Highlands’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D #751 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pistakee Highlands’ 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, Pistakee Highlands has more expected damage per building than 98% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Pistakee Highlands: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pistakee Highlands flood? Sometimes: 90 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pistakee Highlands, from FEMA’s records: 68.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms16 claims · $238K
- The Midwest Flooding6 claims · $23K
- Tropical Storm Erin1 claim · $2K
Pistakee Highlands isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: McHenry County.The storms Pistakee Highlands remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for McHenry County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pistakee Highlands itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201322 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, declared for McHenry County
- 197915 flood claims paidThe year of Blizzards and Snowstorms, declared for McHenry County
- 198611 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for McHenry County
McHenry County has had 13 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 Pistakee Highlands after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pistakee Highlands archive →Pistakee Highlands and its neighbors
Pistakee Highlands is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Grove | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Johnsburg | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Pistakee Highlands | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 90 |
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 Pistakee Highlands 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.
- 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 Pistakee Highlands
Is Pistakee Highlands at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pistakee Highlands has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #751 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Pistakee Highlands flood?
Flood insurance has paid 90 claims in Pistakee Highlands since 1979, $763K in all, or 68.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (16).
Is Pistakee Highlands 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 McHenry County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pistakee Highlands?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pistakee Highlands’ 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 Pistakee Highlands?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 16 paid, $238K.
Is Pistakee Highlands at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Pistakee Highlands’ rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pistakee Highlands.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pistakee Highlands’ 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.