Natural hazards · Central

Central, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Central comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1990.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Central?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Central to be higher than in 71% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes41%Inland flooding30%Cold waves8%Tornadoes8%Strong wind6%Heat waves6%Everything else2%

By hazard

What Central faces

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

Earthquakes

41% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

30% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 19% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. places

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Central flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Central, from FEMA’s records.

2paid claims since 1990

$26Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19902026

Biggest named events

March storm: 1 claim, $6K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Marion County.

Disasters that hit Central

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into CentralDeclared for Marion County only

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

Around Central

Central and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Central Citymostly earthquakesHigh

Centraliamostly 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. Central is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

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

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.