Natural hazards · Helvetia

Helvetia, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Helvetia 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 Helvetia?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Helvetia to be higher than in 75% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding36%Earthquakes27%Tornadoes15%Heat waves10%Cold waves9%Everything else4%

By hazard

What Helvetia 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

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

27% of expected damage

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

Tornadoes

15% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Heat waves

10% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 15 times a year in the area

Cold waves

9% 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 Helvetia flood?

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

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Helvetia 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 Helvetia

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into HelvetiaDeclared for Madison County only

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

Around Helvetia

Helvetia and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

St. Rosemostly inland floodingHigh

Helvetiamostly inland floodingHigh

Sugar Creekmostly inland floodingHigh

Salinemostly earthquakesHigh

St. Jacobmostly inland floodingHigh

Marinemostly 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. Helvetia covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Helvetia’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Helvetia. 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 Helvetia total about $3.9M 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.