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Utica Illinois Mill St bridge at IL route 178Photo: Chris Light at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Utica Township · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Utica Township than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Utica Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 82%Tornadoes 8%Earthquakes 6%

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 72%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Illinois · lower than 72% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 17 declared for La Salle County
By hazard

What Utica 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

82%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Ice storms Wildfire Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes 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 Utica 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 Utica Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Utica Township, and Utica Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 8% (higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Utica Township sits
Utica Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding82%Tornadoes8%Earthquakes6%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Utica Township: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Utica Township’s 1,915 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with North Utica village (1,323 residents) and Naplate village (412 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the township’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 Utica Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Utica Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Utica 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: La Salle County.
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Utica Township

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

  1. 2006Snow$4K to Utica Township for repairs
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Tornadoes$183K to Utica Township for repairs
  3. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$3K to Utica Township for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Utica TownshipLa Salle County only

La Salle County has had 17 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 Utica Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Utica Township archive →
Next door

Utica Township and its neighbors

Utica Township is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Deer Park Township: not gradedWaltham Township: not gradedLaSalle Township: hazard risk A−Ottawa Township: hazard risk C−LaSalle: hazard risk ADeer Park TownshipWaltham TownshipLaSalle TownshipOttawa TownshipLaSalleUtica Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
LaSalleAless damage than 89%river and rain flooding4
LaSalle TownshipA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding11
Utica TownshipB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding0
Ottawa TownshipC−more damage than 76%river and rain flooding128
Deer Park Township—438 residents; we grade 1,000+
Waltham Township—613 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Utica 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Utica Township

Is Utica Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Utica Township has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and tornadoes (8%). 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.

Is Utica 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 La Salle County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Utica Township?

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

By FEMA money that reached Utica Township, Severe Storms and Tornadoes (2004): $183K to Utica Township for repairs.

Is Utica Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Utica Township’s rate for it is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Utica Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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