Photo: Otherbeach · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Wayne Township faces less hazard damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wayne Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, #121 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1978.
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 Wayne 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 Wayne Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wayne Township, and Wayne Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #121 of 768 in Illinois; lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wayne Township’s residents live in 17 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Wayne Township has less expected damage per building than 84% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $22.3M a year in losses across Wayne Township: $13.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wayne Township flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wayne Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike1 claim · $8K
Wayne 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: DuPage County.The storms Wayne Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for DuPage County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Wayne Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19784 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19872 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for DuPage County
- 20071 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
DuPage 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.
Old photos of Wayne Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wayne Township archive →Wayne Township and its neighbors
Wayne Township is 4th of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomingdale Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 240 |
| Hanover Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 33 |
| West Chicago | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Wayne Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Bartlett | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Carol Stream | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 123 |
| St. Charles Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 89 |
| Elgin | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 115 |
| Winfield Township | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 99 |
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 Wayne 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 Wayne Township
Is Wayne Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wayne Township has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #121 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wayne Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Wayne Township since 1978, $30K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (1).
Is Wayne 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 DuPage County, 41% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wayne Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wayne 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 Wayne Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 1 paid, $8K.
Is Wayne Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Wayne Township’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wayne Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wayne 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.