Natural hazards · Chemung

Chemung, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Chemung comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1993.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Chemung?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Chemung to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding45%Cold waves23%Tornadoes22%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Chemung faces

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

Inland flooding

45% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

23% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 31% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

22% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 83 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Chemung flood?

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

12paid claims since 1993

$50Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19932026

Biggest named events

Mid-spring storms: 3 claims, $11K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: McHenry County.

Disasters that hit Chemung

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ChemungDeclared for McHenry County only

McHenry County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and floods.

Around Chemung

Chemung and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Walworthmostly inland floodingLow

LeRoymostly inland floodingLow

Chemungmostly inland floodingVery low

Dunhammostly inland floodingVery low

Aldenmostly inland floodingVery low

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. Chemung covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Chemung’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Chemung. 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 Chemung total about $3.0M 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.