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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Roodhouse · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Roodhouse 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, Roodhouse gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 71%Earthquakes 10%Tornadoes 9%

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

more than 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Illinois · higher than 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
71% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 1979 · $59K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 16 declared for Greene County
By hazard

What Roodhouse 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

71%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Earthquakes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Winter storms Hurricanes Wildfire 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 20% of Roodhouse’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 Roodhouse’s grade

River and rain flooding is 71% of the building damage FEMA expects in Roodhouse, and Roodhouse’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Roodhouse sits
Roodhouse
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Roodhouse’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding71%Earthquakes10%Tornadoes9%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $637K a year in losses across Roodhouse: $268K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Roodhouse’s 1,578 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Roodhouse flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Roodhouse, from FEMA’s records: 13.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 3 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 2 claims1983: 3 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 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 claims197919821983
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $22K
11
paid claims since 1979
$59K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Greene County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Roodhouse

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

  1. 2006Tornadoes and Severe Storms15 households applied for aid$30K aid approved
  2. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RoodhouseGreene County only

Greene 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Roodhouse archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Roodhouse 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Roodhouse

Is Roodhouse at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Roodhouse has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (71%) and earthquakes (10%). 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 Roodhouse flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Roodhouse since 1979, $59K in all, or 13.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (1).

Is Roodhouse 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 Greene County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Roodhouse?

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

By FEMA money that reached Roodhouse, Tornadoes and Severe Storms (2006): 15 households applied for aid, $30K approved. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 1 paid, $22K.

Is Roodhouse at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (71%), and Roodhouse’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Roodhouse.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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