Natural hazards · Palestine

Palestine, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Palestine comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1979. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Palestine?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Palestine to be higher than in 56% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding50%Earthquakes21%Tornadoes10%Everything else20%

By hazard

What Palestine faces

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

Inland flooding

50% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

21% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

10% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 22 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 Palestine flood?

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

5paid claims since 1979

$19Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Crawford County.

Disasters that hit Palestine

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into PalestineDeclared for Crawford County only

2013

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

33 households applied for aid $219K aid approved

2008

Severe Storms and Flooding

14 households applied for aid $84K aid approved

Crawford County has had 7 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

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. Palestine 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 Palestine’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Palestine. 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.