Less hazard damage per building is expected in Kankakee Township than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kankakee Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #57 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1982.
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 Kankakee 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
Hail
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 Kankakee Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kankakee Township, and Kankakee Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 19% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
A #57 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kankakee Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Indiana town has lower expected damage than 60% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kankakee Township has less expected damage per building than 91% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Kankakee Township: $908K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kankakee Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kankakee Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Kankakee 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: LaPorte County.The storms Kankakee Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for LaPorte County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kankakee Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19821 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for LaPorte County
- 19851 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19901 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for LaPorte County
LaPorte County has had 15 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 Kankakee Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kankakee Township archive →Kankakee Township and its neighbors
Kankakee Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kankakee Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Wills Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pleasant Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Center Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Galena Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Kankakee 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.
- 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.
- 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 Kankakee Township
Is Kankakee Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kankakee Township has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #57 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kankakee Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Kankakee Township since 1982, $20K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Kankakee 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 LaPorte County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kankakee Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kankakee Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Kankakee Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Kankakee Township’s rate for it is lower than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kankakee Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kankakee 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.