Natural hazards · Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Mount Vernon comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 2006.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Mount Vernon?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Mount Vernon to be higher than in 63% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes44%Inland flooding24%Tornadoes11%Strong wind7%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Mount Vernon faces

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

Earthquakes

44% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

24% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 76 years in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Mount Vernon flood?

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

12paid claims since 2006

$262Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

20062026

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Jefferson County.

Disasters that hit Mount Vernon

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Mount VernonDeclared for Jefferson County only

Jefferson County has had 3 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

Around Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Doddsmostly earthquakesHigh

Mount Vernonmostly earthquakesHigh

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. Mount Vernon covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Mount Vernon’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Mount Vernon. 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 Mount Vernon total about $14.0M 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.