Natural hazards · Oak Brook

Oak Brook, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Oak Brook comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 72 claims here since 1979. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Oak Brook?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Oak Brook to be higher than in 29% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding63%Tornadoes16%Cold waves13%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Oak Brook faces

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

Inland flooding

63% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 51% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

16% of expected damage

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

Cold waves

13% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 22% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year 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 Oak Brook flood?

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

72paid claims since 1979

$4.2Mpaid to owners

9homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Mid-spring storms: 11 claims, $1.2M
Hurricane Ike: 3 claims, $114K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (4) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

🏷️ 15% off flood insurance. Oak Brook is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: DuPage County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Oak Brook

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into Oak BrookDeclared for DuPage County only

2013

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

29 households applied for aid $70K aid approved

2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

97 households applied for aid $256K aid approved

2008

Severe Storms and Flooding

2 households applied for aid

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

Around Oak Brook

Oak Brook and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Provisomostly inland floodingHigh

Hinsdalemostly inland floodingHigh

Elmhurstmostly inland floodingHigh

Yorkmostly inland floodingLow

Lombardmostly inland floodingLow

Downers Grovemostly inland floodingLow

Oak Brookmostly inland floodingLow

Downers Grovemostly inland floodingLow

Oakbrook Terracemostly inland floodingLow

Westmontmostly inland floodingVery low

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. Oak Brook covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Oak Brook’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Oak Brook. 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 Oak Brook total about $10.6M 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.