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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Riley Township · FEMA

FEMA puts Riley Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Riley Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #101 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2009.

River and rain flooding 80%Tornadoes 15%Earthquakes 2%

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 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#101 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
A−#101 of 768
in Illinois · lower than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2009 · $93K
Flood claims per home
1 per 1,000
fewer than 78% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Riley 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

80%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Lightning Ice storms 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 17% of Riley Township’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 Riley Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Riley Township, and Riley Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 15% (higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Riley Township sits
Riley Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #101 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Riley Township’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 flooding80%Tornadoes15%Everything else4%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Riley Township has less expected damage per building than 87% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Riley Township: $857K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Riley Township 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 Riley Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2009

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Riley Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2009: 1 claim2010: 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 claims2009
20092026
1
paid claims since 2009
$93K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$93K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Riley 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: McHenry County.
Disasters

The storms Riley Township remembers

None of the 13 disasters declared for McHenry County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Riley Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20091 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Riley TownshipMcHenry County only

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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Riley Township archive →
Next door

Riley Township and its neighbors

Riley Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Marengo Township: not gradedSpring Township: not gradedGenoa Township: not gradedCoral Township: hazard risk B−Seneca Township: hazard risk BMarengo TownshipSpring TownshipGenoa TownshipCoral TownshipSeneca TownshipRiley Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Riley TownshipA−less damage than 76%river and rain flooding1
Seneca TownshipBless damage than 57%river and rain flooding3
Coral TownshipB−less damage than 51%river and rain flooding—
Marengo Township—not graded yet
Spring Township—not graded yet
Genoa Township—not graded yet

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 Riley 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.

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 Riley Township

Is Riley Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Riley Township has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #101 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and tornadoes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Riley Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Riley Township since 2009, $93K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Riley 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 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 Riley Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Riley Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Riley Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Riley Township’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Riley Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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