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Westchester, Illinois Village Hall exteriorPhoto: Captainandy1310 · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Westchester · FEMA

FEMA puts Westchester’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westchester gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #643 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 486 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 90%Tornadoes 7%Earthquakes 3%

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 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#643 of 768 in Illinois
Hazard risk
C−#643 of 768
in Illinois · higher than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
486
paid since 1979 · $5.2M
Flooded more than once
90
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
15% off
Community discount (class 7)

What stands out about Westchester’s natural hazards

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

486 paid flood claims since 1979$5.2M in all; 90 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 94% of U.S. towns.15% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Westchester residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7).Remembers 2010251 flood claims were paid for 2010 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Westchester 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

90%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Hurricanes 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 23% of Westchester’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 Westchester’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Westchester, and Westchester’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 7% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Westchester sits
Westchester
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #643 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Westchester’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Tornadoes7%Everything else4%

The typical Illinois town has higher expected damage than 54% of U.S. towns; within the state, Westchester has more expected damage per building than 84% of Illinois towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.7M a year in losses across Westchester: $5.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Westchester covers 5 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Westchester flood? Yes: 486 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Westchester, from FEMA’s records: 67.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 5 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 6 claims1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 3 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 14 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 2 claims2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 1 claim2006: 9 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 35 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 251 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 125 claims2014: 11 claims2015: 5 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 3 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 2 claims2020: 6 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 1 claim200820102013
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-spring storms124 claims · $1.7M
  • Hurricane Ike32 claims · $191K
486
paid claims since 1979
$5.2M
paid to owners
90
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
Each house = 2 homesFEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount15% off flood insurance

Westchester is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Cook County.
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Westchester

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Floodng73 households applied for aid$209K aid approved
  2. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding28 households applied for aid$110K aid approved
  3. 2023Severe Storms and Flooding171 households applied for aid$431K aid approved
  4. 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding659 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved125 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$59K to the Village of Westchester for repairs
  6. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding2,330 households applied for aid$7.8M aid approved251 flood claims paid that year
Show all 10
  1. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding131 households applied for aid$110K aid approved35 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the Village of Westchester for repairs
  3. 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$14K to the Village of Westchester for repairs
  4. 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$20K to the Village of Westchester for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WestchesterCook County only

Cook County has had 21 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Westchester archive →
Next door

Westchester and its neighbors

Westchester is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Hillside: hazard risk C+Bellwood: hazard risk DBroadview: hazard risk CHillsideBellwoodBroadviewWestchester
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HillsideC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding7
BroadviewCmore damage than 66%river and rain flooding18
WestchesterC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding486
BellwoodDmore damage than 86%river and rain flooding1,127

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 Westchester 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 ↗
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.
  • Westchester residents get 15% off flood insurance.
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 Westchester

Is Westchester at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Westchester has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #643 of 768 in Illinois. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%) and tornadoes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Westchester flood?

Flood insurance has paid 486 claims in Westchester since 1979, $5.2M in all, or 67.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 90 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (124).

Is Westchester 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 Cook County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Westchester?

Westchester is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Westchester?

By FEMA money that reached Westchester, Severe Storms and Flooding (2010): 2,330 households applied for aid, $7.8M approved. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 124 paid, $1.7M.

Is Westchester at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Westchester’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Westchester.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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