Natural hazards · Elsah

Elsah, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Elsah comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 244 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Elsah?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Elsah to be higher than in 76% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and heat waves.

Inland flooding39%Heat waves19%Cold waves14%Tornadoes10%Earthquakes7%Strong wind5%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Elsah faces

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

Inland flooding

39% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Heat waves

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Cold waves

14% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 25 years in the area

Earthquakes

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 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 Elsah flood?

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

244paid claims since 1979

$3.0Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Midwest Flooding: 48 claims, $1.1M
Early winter storms: 5 claims, $20K
Mid-spring storms: 2 claims, $13K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Jersey County.

Disasters that hit Elsah

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ElsahDeclared for Jersey County only

Jersey County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Elsah

Elsah and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Quarrymostly inland floodingVery high

Elsahmostly inland floodingHigh

West Altonmostly inland floodingHigh

Mississippimostly inland floodingModerate

Godfreymostly inland floodingModerate

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. Elsah covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Elsah’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Elsah. 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 Elsah total about $2.0M 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.