Natural hazards · Foster

Foster, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Foster comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 28 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Foster?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Foster to be higher than in 53% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding33%Earthquakes19%Tornadoes17%Heat waves14%Cold waves12%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Foster 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

Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 48 years in the area

Heat waves

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Cold waves

12% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 Foster flood?

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

28paid claims since 1979

$430Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Midwest Flooding: 3 claims, $61K

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Madison County.

Disasters that hit Foster

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into FosterDeclared for Madison County only

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

Around Foster

Foster and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Wood Rivermostly inland floodingHigh

Moromostly inland floodingModerate

Fostermostly inland floodingModerate

Altonmostly inland floodingModerate

Bethaltomostly inland floodingModerate

Brightonmostly earthquakesModerate

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. Foster covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Foster’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Foster. 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 Foster total about $1.6M 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.