Natural hazards · Chatham

Chatham, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Chatham comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 1982. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Chatham?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Chatham to be higher than in 59% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding48%Tornadoes14%Cold waves13%Earthquakes9%Heat waves7%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Chatham faces

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

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 35 years in the area

Cold waves

13% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage

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

Heat waves

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 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 Chatham flood?

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

24paid claims since 1982

$501Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19822026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Sangamon County.

Disasters that hit Chatham

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Chatham itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Township of Chatham.

Brought FEMA money into ChathamDeclared for Sangamon County only

1999

Il-Winter Storm 1/1/99

$5K to the Township of Chatham for repairs

Sangamon County has had 10 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Chatham

Chatham and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Chathammostly inland floodingModerate

Auburnmostly inland floodingModerate

Chathammostly inland floodingModerate

Ballmostly inland floodingModerate

Springfieldmostly inland floodingModerate

Capitalmostly inland floodingModerate

Curranmostly inland floodingLow

Loamimostly inland floodingLow

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. Chatham covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

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