On FEMA’s figures, Ridgewood faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ridgewood gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #314 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%), then tornadoes (11%). 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 Ridgewood 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
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 Ridgewood’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ridgewood, and Ridgewood’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 11% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #314 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ridgewood’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ridgewood has less expected damage per building than 59% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Ridgewood: $565K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ridgewood flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ridgewood. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Ridgewood isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Will County.The storms Ridgewood remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Will County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ridgewood itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Will County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Ridgewood and its neighbors
Ridgewood has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgewood | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Joliet | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 630 |
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 Ridgewood 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.
- 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 Ridgewood
Is Ridgewood at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ridgewood has lower expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #314 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Ridgewood 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 Will County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ridgewood?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ridgewood’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ridgewood at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Ridgewood’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ridgewood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ridgewood’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.