Photo: In memoriam afiler · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Upham
Upham isn’t graded for hazard risk: Upham has 102 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Upham faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Winter storms
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); winter storms is FEMA’s “Winter Weather” (snow, sleet and freezing rain). 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 Upham flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Upham. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Upham isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: McHenry County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Upham
Disasters that paid out in Upham itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Upham), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Flooding18 households applied for aid$26K aid approved$16K to the City of Upham for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding9 households applied for aid$30K aid approved$19K to the City of Upham for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Ground Saturation$2K to the City of Upham for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Flooding and Ground Saturation$9K to the City of Upham for repairs
- 1999Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow, Ice, Ground Saturation, Lanslides, Mudslides, and Tor$33K to the City of Upham for repairs
McHenry County has had 29 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.
Old photos of Upham after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Upham archive →Get ready for what Upham faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- 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 Upham
Is Upham 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 McHenry County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Upham?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Upham’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 Upham?
By FEMA money that reached Upham, Severe Storms and Flooding (2009): 9 households applied for aid, $30K approved, and $19K to the City of Upham for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Upham.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Upham’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.