Photo: User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Southern View than in 75% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Southern View gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%), then earthquakes (25%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1997.
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 Southern View 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
Tornadoes
Hail
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 Southern View’s grade
River and rain flooding is 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Southern View, and Southern View’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 21%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Southern View’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $863K a year in losses across Southern View: $512K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Southern View flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Southern View, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Southern View isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sangamon County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Southern View
Disasters that paid out in Southern View itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Southern View), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$61K to the Village of Southern View for repairs
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$3K to the Village of Southern View for repairs
- 2006Severe Winter Storm$14K to the Village of Southern View for repairs
- 2006Tornadoes and Severe Storms$7K to the Village of Southern View for repairs
- 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$2K to the Village of Southern View for repairs
Sangamon County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Southern View after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Southern View archive →Southern View and its neighbors
Southern View 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern View | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Capital Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Woodside Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
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 Southern View 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Southern View
Is Southern View at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Southern View has lower expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%) and earthquakes (25%). 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 Southern View flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Southern View since 1997, $1K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Southern View 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 Sangamon County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Southern View?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Southern View’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 Southern View?
By FEMA money that reached Southern View, Severe Storms and Flooding (2023): $61K to the Village of Southern View for repairs.
Is Southern View at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Southern View’s rate for it is lower than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Southern View.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Southern View’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.