Storms, floods and disasters in Wallace Township
Wallace Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Wallace Township has 623 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 59 claims here since 1978.
What Wallace 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
Earthquakes
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 Wallace Township flood? Sometimes: 59 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wallace Township, from FEMA’s records.
- The Mid-spring storms19 claims · $634K
- Hurricane Ike14 claims · $493K
- The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $24K
Wallace 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Wallace Township
Disasters that paid out in Wallace Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Wallace Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$4K to Wallace Township for repairs
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.
Old photos of Wallace Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wallace Township archive →Wallace 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ottawa Township | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 128 |
| Ottawa | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 168 |
| Waltham Township | — | 613 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Freedom Township | — | 432 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 Wallace 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Wallace Township
Does Wallace Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 59 claims in Wallace Township since 1978, $1.4M in all. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (19).
Is Wallace 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 Wallace Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wallace 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 Wallace Township?
By FEMA money that reached Wallace Township, Il-winter Storm 1/1/99 (1999): $4K to Wallace Township for repairs. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 19 paid, $634K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wallace Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wallace 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.