Point School · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Yellowhead Township’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Yellowhead Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #613 of 768 in Illinois. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Yellowhead 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 Yellowhead Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Yellowhead Township, and Yellowhead Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 7% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).
C− #613 of 768 in Illinois; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Yellowhead Township’s residents live in 2 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, Yellowhead Township has more expected damage per building than 80% of Illinois towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Yellowhead Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Yellowhead Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Yellowhead Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Yellowhead 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: Kankakee County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Yellowhead Township
Disasters that paid out in Yellowhead Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Yellowhead Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 1999Il-winter Storm 1/1/99$6K to Yellowhead Township for repairs
Kankakee County has had 4 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Yellowhead Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Yellowhead Township archive →Yellowhead Township and its neighbors
Yellowhead Township is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Township | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Yellowhead Township | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Momence Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Sumner Township | — | 812 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 Yellowhead 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 Yellowhead Township
Is Yellowhead Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Yellowhead Township has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #613 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.
Is Yellowhead 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 Kankakee County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Yellowhead Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Yellowhead 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 Yellowhead Township?
By FEMA money that reached Yellowhead Township, Il-winter Storm 1/1/99 (1999): $6K to Yellowhead Township for repairs.
Is Yellowhead Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Yellowhead Township’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Yellowhead Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Yellowhead 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.