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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Villa Grove · FEMA

FEMA puts Villa Grove’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Villa Grove gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then hail (24%). Flood insurance has paid 96 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 67%Hail 24%Earthquakes 4%

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 95%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Illinois · higher than 95% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
67% of expected building damage
Flood claims
96
paid since 1979 · $727K
Flooded more than once
14
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
6
of 10 declared for Douglas County

What stands out about Villa Grove’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Hail: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hail here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 24.0% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way28 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 201320 flood claims were paid for 2013 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Villa Grove 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

67%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

24%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Hurricanes Winter storms Ice storms Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
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 9% of Villa Grove’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 Villa Grove’s grade

River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Villa Grove, and Villa Grove’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 24%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Villa Grove sits
Villa Grove
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding67%Hail24%Earthquakes4%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Villa Grove: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Villa Grove’s 2,472 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Camargo village (452 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 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 Villa Grove flood? Sometimes: 96 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Villa Grove, from FEMA’s records: 87.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 5 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 1 claim1982: 0 claims1983: 2 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 3 claims1991: 1 claim1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 12 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 15 claims1997: 3 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 7 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 8 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 20 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 17 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620132015
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-spring storms20 claims · $191K
  • The Early winter storms17 claims · $155K
96
paid claims since 1979
$727K
paid to owners
14
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Douglas County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
28flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Villa Grove

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding$34K to the City of Villa Grove for repairs
  2. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes8 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  3. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding32 households applied for aid$83K aid approved
  4. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$5K to the City of Villa Grove for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2002Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$30K to the City of Villa Grove for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
  6. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$3K to the City of Villa Grove for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Villa GroveDouglas County only

Douglas County has had 10 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Villa Grove after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Villa Grove archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Villa Grove 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 ↗
Hail
  • 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.
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 Villa Grove

Is Villa Grove at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Villa Grove has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and hail (24%). 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 Villa Grove flood?

Flood insurance has paid 96 claims in Villa Grove since 1979, $727K in all, or 87.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 14 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (20).

Is Villa Grove 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 Douglas County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Villa Grove?

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

By FEMA money that reached Villa Grove, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2013): 32 households applied for aid, $83K approved. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 20 paid, $191K.

Is Villa Grove at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Villa Grove’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Villa Grove.

Town Square →
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Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Villa Grove’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.