Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Somerset Township faces more hazard damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Somerset Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #721 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%), then earthquakes (31%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1993.
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 Somerset 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
Earthquakes
Strong wind
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 Somerset Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Somerset Township, and Somerset Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 13%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D #721 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Somerset Township’s residents live in 5 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, Somerset Township has more expected damage per building than 94% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.6M a year in losses across Somerset Township: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Somerset Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Somerset Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Somerset 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: Jackson County.The storms Somerset Township remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Jackson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Somerset Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19931 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Jackson County
- 19951 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Jackson County
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Jackson County
Jackson County has had 12 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.
Old photos of Somerset Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Somerset Township archive →Somerset Township and its neighbors
Somerset Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset Township | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| De Soto Township | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 28 |
| Murphysboro Township | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Levan Township | — | 553 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Vergennes Township | — | 770 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Somerset 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Somerset Township
Is Somerset Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Somerset Township has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #721 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%) and earthquakes (31%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Somerset Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Somerset Township since 1993, $15K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Somerset 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 Jackson County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Somerset Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Somerset Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Somerset Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Somerset Township’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Somerset Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Somerset 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.