Natural hazards · Centralia

Centralia, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Centralia comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1990.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Centralia?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Centralia to be higher than in 70% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes42%Inland flooding31%Tornadoes7%Cold waves7%Strong wind6%Heat waves5%Everything else2%

By hazard

What Centralia faces

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

Earthquakes

42% of expected damage

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

Inland flooding

31% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

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

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

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

5% 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 Centralia flood?

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

4paid claims since 1990

$28Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19902026

Biggest named events

Mid-spring storms: 2 claims, $10K
March storm: 1 claim, $6K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Centralia 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 Centralia

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into CentraliaDeclared for Marion County only

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

Around Centralia

Centralia and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Irvingtonmostly earthquakesHigh

Wamacmostly earthquakesHigh

Brooksidemostly inland floodingHigh

Sandovalmostly inland floodingHigh

Centraliamostly earthquakesHigh

Raccoonmostly earthquakesHigh

Grand Prairiemostly 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. Centralia covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Centralia’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Centralia. 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 Centralia total about $12.0M 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.