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Natural hazards · Gardner

Gardner, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Gardner comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1998. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Gardner?

76
High
vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding48%Cold waves37%Tornadoes9%Everything else6%
By hazard

What Gardner faces

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

Inland flooding

48% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

37% of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 28 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong 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 Gardner flood?

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

6paid claims since 1998
$31Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19982026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Ike: 1 claim, $3K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Gardner isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Grundy County.
Disasters that hit Gardner

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Gardner itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Village of Gardner.

Brought FEMA money into GardnerDeclared for Grundy County only
2013

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $8K aid approved
2011

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$2K to the Village of Gardner for repairs
2008

Severe Storms and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $2K aid approved
2007

Severe Storms and Flooding

1 household applied for aid
2000

Illinois Winter Snow Storms

$4K to the Village of Gardner for repairs
1999

Il-Winter Storm 1/1/99

$4K to the Village of Gardner for repairs
Grundy County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.
Around Gardner

Gardner and the towns around it

Garfield: High, mostly inland floodingGreenfield: High, mostly inland floodingGoodfarm: High, mostly inland floodingMaine: Low, mostly cold wavesEssex: High, mostly inland floodingBraceville: Low, mostly cold wavesGardner: High, mostly inland flooding GardnerGarfieldGreenfield
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Gardnermostly inland floodingHigh
Garfieldmostly inland floodingHigh
Greenfieldmostly 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. Gardner 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 Gardner’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Gardner. 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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