Natural hazards · English

English, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in English comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 201 claims here since 1978.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is English?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in English to be higher than in 72% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and heat waves.

Inland flooding33%Heat waves20%Cold waves16%Tornadoes10%Strong wind7%Everything else14%

By hazard

What English faces

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

Inland flooding

33% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Heat waves

20% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Cold waves

16% 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

Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Strong wind

7% 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 weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDrought

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 English flood?

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

201paid claims since 1978

$3.8Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Midwest Flooding: 52 claims, $1.9M
Early winter storms: 3 claims, $138K
Mid-spring storms: 2 claims, $6K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. English 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 English

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into EnglishDeclared for Jersey County only

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

Around English

English and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Englishmostly inland floodingHigh

Richwoodmostly inland floodingHigh

Otter Creekmostly inland floodingHigh

Kanemostly inland floodingHigh

Jerseymostly 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. English covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to English’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of English. 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 English total about $1.0M 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.