Lawrenceville’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lawrenceville comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1995. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Lawrenceville’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Lawrenceville?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 89% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.
Rated higher than 2,821 of the 2,886 Illinois towns we cover.
Lawrenceville covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
What Lawrenceville faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Does Lawrenceville flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1995
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lawrenceville, from FEMA’s records.
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $11K
Lawrenceville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lawrence County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lawrenceville
Disasters that paid out in Lawrenceville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lawrenceville) and its biggest flood years.
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding13 households applied for aid$41K aid approved
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding147 households applied for aid$1.4M aid approved
Lawrence County has had 7 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Lawrenceville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lawrenceville archive →Get ready for what Lawrenceville actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Lawrenceville’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Lawrenceville.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Lawrenceville, expected losses total about $1.9M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lawrenceville.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.