Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Plano

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Plano Il Downtown1Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Plano · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Plano as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Plano gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #321 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1980.

River and rain flooding 79%Tornadoes 14%Strong wind 3%

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

less than 51%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#321 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
B−#321 of 768
in Illinois · lower than 51% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 1980 · $197K
Flooded more than once
2
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
5
of 10 declared for Kendall County
By hazard

What Plano 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

79%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Hail Ice storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 33% of Plano’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Plano’s grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Plano, and Plano’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 14% (higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Plano sits
Plano
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #321 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Plano’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Tornadoes14%Strong wind3%Everything else4%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Plano has less expected damage per building than 58% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.2M a year in losses across Plano: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Plano covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Plano flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Plano, from FEMA’s records: 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 2 claims1981: 1 claim1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 1 claim1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 3 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198019811996
19802026
11
paid claims since 1980
$197K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$18K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Plano isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Kendall County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
7flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Plano

Disasters that paid out in Plano itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Plano), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding35 households applied for aid$51K aid approved
  2. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the City of Plano for repairs
  3. 2006Snow$10K to the City of Plano for repairs
  4. 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$4K to the City of Plano for repairs
  5. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$5K to the City of Plano for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PlanoKendall County only

Kendall County has had 10 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Plano after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Plano archive →
Next door

Plano and its neighbors

Plano is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Yorkville: hazard risk C+Sandwich: hazard risk B+YorkvilleSandwichPlano
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SandwichB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding3
PlanoB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding11
YorkvilleC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding1

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Plano faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Plano

Is Plano at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Plano has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #321 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Plano flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Plano since 1980, $197K in all, or 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Plano 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 Kendall County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Plano?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Plano’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 Plano?

By FEMA money that reached Plano, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2013): 35 households applied for aid, $51K approved.

Is Plano at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Plano’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Plano.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Plano’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.