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C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in West Galena Township · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in West Galena Township than in 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Galena Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #497 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then tornadoes (10%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 79%Tornadoes 10%Hail 6%

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 64%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#497 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
C+#497 of 768
in Illinois · higher than 64% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
79% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 13 declared for Jo Daviess County
By hazard

What West Galena 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

79%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 17% of West Galena Township’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 West Galena Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in West Galena Township, and West Galena Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).

Where West Galena Township sits
West Galena Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #497 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding79%Tornadoes10%Hail6%Everything else4%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, West Galena Township has more expected damage per building than 65% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across West Galena Township: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of West Galena Township’s 3,230 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Galena city (3,308 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 township’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 West Galena Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in West Galena Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

West Galena 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: Jo Daviess County.
Disasters

The storms West Galena Township remembers

None of the 13 disasters declared for Jo Daviess County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching West Galena Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in West Galena TownshipJo Daviess County only

Jo Daviess County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Next door

West Galena Township and its neighbors

West Galena Township is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

East Galena Township: hazard risk C+Galena: hazard risk C+Rawlins Township: not gradedMenominee Township: hazard risk B+East Galena TownshipGalenaRawlins TownshipMenominee TownshipWest Galena Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Menominee TownshipB+less damage than 68%river and rain flooding257
East Galena TownshipC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding18
GalenaC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding18
West Galena TownshipC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding0
Rawlins Township—595 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 West Galena 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.

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 West Galena Township

Is West Galena Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Galena Township has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #497 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (10%). 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.

Is West Galena 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 Jo Daviess County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in West Galena Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for West Galena Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is West Galena Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and West Galena Township’s rate for it is higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West Galena Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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