Pekin’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Pekin comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 61 claims here since 1979.
What stands out about Pekin’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
What Pekin faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Cold waves
Tornadoes
Heat waves
The storms Pekin remembers
None of the disasters declared for Tazewell County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pekin itself in FEMA’s records.
- 198219 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 198013 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Tazewell County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.
Old photos of Pekin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pekin archive →How exposed is Pekin?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 53% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.
Calmer than 1,574 of the 2,886 Illinois towns we cover.
Pekin covers 7 census tracts, combined by population.
Does Pekin flood? Sometimes: 61 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pekin, from FEMA’s records.
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $112K
- The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $11K
Pekin isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tazewell County.Get ready for what Pekin 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.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- 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.
Pekin and its neighbors
Pekin has the highest rating of the 9 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pekin | Moderate | inland flooding | 61 |
| Hollis | Moderate | inland flooding | 0 |
| Fondulac | Moderate | inland flooding | 35 |
| Groveland | Low | inland flooding | 38 |
| Cincinnati | Low | inland flooding | 16 |
| Peoria City | Low | inland flooding | 222 |
| Peoria | Low | inland flooding | 345 |
| Limestone | Low | cold waves | 153 |
| Creve Coeur | Very low | cold waves | 2 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in April–May
The month each of Tazewell County’s 13 declared disasters began, since 1953.
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 Pekin’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Pekin.
- 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 Pekin, expected losses total about $10.3M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pekin.
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.