Photo: KWayne1 · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Sterling Township
Sterling Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Sterling Township yet. Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1979.
What Sterling 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
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.
Does Sterling Township flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sterling Township, from FEMA’s records.
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $2K
Sterling 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: Whiteside County.The storms Sterling Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Whiteside County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sterling Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20026 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19854 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19793 flood claims paidThe year of Blizzards and Snowstorms, declared for Whiteside County
Whiteside County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Sterling Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sterling Township archive →Sterling Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Hopkins Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Palmyra Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| Coloma Township | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Rock Falls | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Jordan Township | — | 838 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 Sterling 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.
- 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 Sterling Township
Does Sterling Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Sterling Township since 1979, $77K in all. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).
Is Sterling 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 Whiteside County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sterling Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sterling Township’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 Sterling Township?
By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $2K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sterling Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sterling 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.