On FEMA’s figures, Wauponsee Township faces more hazard damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wauponsee Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1982.
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
What Wauponsee 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
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.
What’s behind Wauponsee Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wauponsee Township, and Wauponsee Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 3%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wauponsee Township’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.2M a year in losses across Wauponsee Township: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wauponsee Township flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wauponsee Township, from FEMA’s records: 10.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike4 claims · $81K
- The Mid-spring storms2 claims · $37K
Wauponsee 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: Grundy County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Wauponsee Township
Disasters that paid out in Wauponsee Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Wauponsee Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$6K to Wauponsee Township for repairs
Grundy County has had 12 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 Wauponsee Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wauponsee Township archive →Wauponsee Township and its neighbors
Wauponsee Township is 6th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goose Lake Township | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 105 |
| Morris Township | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Morris | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 58 |
| Mazon Township | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Erienna Township | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Wauponsee Township | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Norman Township | — | 243 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 Wauponsee 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.
- 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 Wauponsee Township
Is Wauponsee Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wauponsee Township has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and tornadoes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wauponsee Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 13 claims in Wauponsee Township since 1982, $201K in all, or 10.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (4).
Is Wauponsee 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 Grundy County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wauponsee Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wauponsee 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 Wauponsee Township?
By FEMA money that reached Wauponsee Township, Il-winter Storm 1/1/99 (1999): $6K to Wauponsee Township for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 4 paid, $81K.
Is Wauponsee Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Wauponsee Township’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wauponsee Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wauponsee 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.