San Jose’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in San Jose comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about San Jose’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does San Jose flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in San Jose. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
San Jose isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Mason County.How exposed is San Jose?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 46% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and drought.
Calmer than 1,917 of the 2,886 Illinois towns we cover.
San Jose is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What San Jose faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Drought
Strong wind
Cold waves
Tornadoes
3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to San Jose
Disasters that paid out in San Jose itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of San Jose) and its biggest flood years.
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$2K to the Village of San Jose for repairs
- 2006Snow$2K to the Village of San Jose for repairs
- 1999Il-Winter Storm 1/1/99$819 to the Village of San Jose for repairs
Mason County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Old photos of San Jose after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the San Jose archive →Get ready for what San Jose 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.
- On a well? Know how deep it is and watch for sputtering.
- Follow the town’s watering limits.
- Fix drips: they add up.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in April–June
The month each of Mason County’s 16 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 San Jose’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of San Jose.
- 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.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in San Jose.
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.