Natural hazards · Shields

Shields, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Shields comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 102 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Shields?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Shields to be higher than in 3% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding44%Tornadoes24%Cold waves22%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Shields faces

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

Inland flooding

44% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 8% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

24% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Cold waves

22% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 23% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Shields flood?

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

102paid claims since 1979

$509Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Mid-spring storms: 2 claims, $7K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Lake County.

Disasters that hit Shields

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ShieldsDeclared for Lake County only

Lake County has had 15 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and floods.

Around Shields

Shields and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

West Deerfieldmostly inland floodingHigh

Libertyvillemostly inland floodingLow

Lake Forestmostly inland floodingLow

Morainemostly inland floodingLow

Waukeganmostly inland floodingVery low

Green Oaksmostly inland floodingVery low

Knollwoodmostly inland floodingVery low

Lake Bluffmostly inland floodingVery low

Shieldsmostly inland floodingVery low

North Chicagomostly cold wavesVery 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. Shields covers 10 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Shields’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Shields. 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 Shields total about $10.5M 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.