Photo: Anonymous · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Wilmington Township
Wilmington Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Wilmington Township yet. Flood insurance has paid 215 claims here since 1978.
What Wilmington 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 Wilmington Township flood? Yes: 215 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wilmington Township, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ike17 claims · $239K
- The Mid-spring storms11 claims · $51K
- The Early winter storms1 claim · $950
Wilmington 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: Will County.The storms Wilmington Township remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Will County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Wilmington Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198533 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Will County
- 198232 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 198430 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Will County has had 16 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 Wilmington Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wilmington Township archive →Wilmington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reed Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Channahon Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 60 |
| Felix Township | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Goose Lake Township | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 105 |
| Wilmington | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 122 |
| Florence Township | — | 888 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 Wilmington 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 Wilmington Township
Does Wilmington Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 215 claims in Wilmington Township since 1978, $2.0M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (17).
Is Wilmington 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 Will County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wilmington Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wilmington 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 Wilmington Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 17 paid, $239K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wilmington Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wilmington 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.