DeKalb’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in DeKalb comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 168 claims here since 1978. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about DeKalb’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does DeKalb flood? Yes: 168 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in DeKalb, from FEMA’s records.
- The Mid-spring storms4 claims · $30K
- Hurricane Ike2 claims · $26K
DeKalb isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: DeKalb County.What DeKalb faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Cold waves
Tornadoes
3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to DeKalb
Disasters that paid out in DeKalb itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Township of DeKalb) and its biggest flood years.
- 2013Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding56 households applied for aid$38K aid approved
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding19 households applied for aid$33K aid approved
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding180 households applied for aid$336K aid approved47 flood claims paid that year
- 199631 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
- 198345 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
DeKalb County has had 10 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.
Old photos of DeKalb after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the DeKalb archive →How exposed is DeKalb?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 36% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.
Calmer than 2,329 of the 2,886 Illinois towns we cover.
DeKalb covers 8 census tracts, combined by population.
Get ready for what DeKalb actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
DeKalb and its neighbors
DeKalb ranks 4th calmest of 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in June–August
The month each of DeKalb County’s 10 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to DeKalb’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of DeKalb.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across DeKalb, expected losses total about $16.6M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in DeKalb.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Weather alerts: National Weather Service. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.