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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Venice · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Venice faces more hazard damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Venice gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then earthquakes (31%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 55%Earthquakes 31%Tornadoes 8%

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 80%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 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
13
paid since 1979 · $70K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
2
of 13 declared for Madison County
By hazard

What Venice 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

55%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

31%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Ice storms Strong wind Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Venice’s grade

River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Venice, and Venice’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 31% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Venice sits
Venice
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding55%Earthquakes31%Tornadoes8%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Venice: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Venice’s 1,498 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 Venice flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Venice, from FEMA’s records: 15.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 2 claims1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 2 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 2 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 2 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198219851993
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Midwest Flooding2 claims · $11K
13
paid claims since 1979
$70K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Madison County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Venice

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$278K to the City of Venice for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2006Severe Winter Storm$47K to the City of Venice for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in VeniceMadison County only

Madison County has had 13 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 Venice after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Venice archive →
Next door

Venice and its neighbors

Venice has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Madison: hazard risk DBrooklyn: not gradedMadisonBrooklynVenice
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
VeniceC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding13
MadisonDmore damage than 86%river and rain flooding17
Brooklyn—729 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 Venice 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 ↗
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 Venice

Is Venice at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Venice has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and earthquakes (31%). 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 Venice flood?

Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Venice since 1979, $70K in all, or 15.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (2).

Is Venice 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 Madison County, 0.8% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Venice?

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

By FEMA money that reached Venice, Severe Storms and Flooding (2019): $278K to the City of Venice for repairs. By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 2 paid, $11K.

Is Venice at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Venice’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Venice.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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