Natural hazards · Benton

Benton, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Benton comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Benton?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Benton to be higher than in 72% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes34%Inland flooding24%Cold waves19%Tornadoes9%Heat waves7%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Benton faces

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

Earthquakes

34% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

24% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Cold waves

19% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 21% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 58 years in the area

Heat waves

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Benton flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Franklin County.

Disasters that hit Benton

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BentonDeclared for Franklin County only

Franklin County has had 8 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Benton

Benton and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Frankfortmostly earthquakesHigh

Bentonmostly earthquakesHigh

Ewingmostly earthquakesHigh

Browningmostly earthquakesHigh

Hanafordmostly earthquakesHigh

Easternmostly earthquakesHigh

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. Benton covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Benton’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Benton. 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 Benton total about $3.1M 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.