Natural hazards · Bear Creek

Bear Creek, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Bear Creek comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Bear Creek?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bear Creek to be higher than in 45% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding28%Earthquakes21%Cold waves19%Drought15%Tornadoes6%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Bear Creek faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

28% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 36% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

21% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Cold waves

19% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 55% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Drought

15% of expected damage

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Bear Creek flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bear Creek.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Bear Creek isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Christian County.

Disasters that hit Bear Creek

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Christian County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bear Creek itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into Bear CreekDeclared for Christian County only

Christian County has had 6 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and severe storms.

Around Bear Creek

Bear Creek and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bear Creekmostly inland floodingModerate

Ricksmostly inland floodingModerate

Kingmostly inland floodingModerate

Johnsonmostly inland floodingModerate

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Bear Creek covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bear Creek’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Bear Creek. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Bear Creek total about $4.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.