Natural hazards · Portland

Portland, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Portland comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1994.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Portland?

High

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding57%Tornadoes12%Cold waves10%Drought7%Strong wind5%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Portland faces

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

Inland flooding

57% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 17 years in the area

Cold waves

10% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Drought

7% of expected damage

Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

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 Portland flood?

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

5paid claims since 1994

$30Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19942026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Whiteside County.

Disasters that hit Portland

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into PortlandDeclared for Whiteside County only

Whiteside County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Portland

Portland and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Canoe Creekmostly inland floodingVery high

Portlandmostly inland floodingHigh

Lorainemostly inland floodingModerate

Phenixmostly inland floodingModerate

Prophetstownmostly inland floodingModerate

Eriemostly inland floodingModerate

Fentonmostly inland floodingModerate

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. Portland covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Portland’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Portland. 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 Portland total about $1.5M 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.