Natural hazards · Elm River

Elm River, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Elm River comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Elm River?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Elm River to be higher than in 66% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and heat waves.

Inland flooding36%Heat waves18%Earthquakes16%Tornadoes9%Drought8%Cold waves8%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Elm River faces

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

Inland flooding

36% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Heat waves

18% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 39% of U.S. places

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

16% of expected damage

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

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Drought

8% of expected damage

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Elm River flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Elm River.

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Wayne County.

Disasters that hit Elm River

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Elm RiverDeclared for Wayne County only

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

Around Elm River

Elm River and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bedfordmostly inland floodingHigh

Jaspermostly inland floodingHigh

Elm Rivermostly inland floodingHigh

Zifmostly inland floodingHigh

Mount Eriemostly inland floodingHigh

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. Elm River 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 Elm River’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Elm River. 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.