Tonica is calmer than 70% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Tonica comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2013. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Tonica’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Tonica?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 30% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.
Calmer than 2,503 of the 2,886 Illinois towns we cover.
Tonica is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
Does Tonica flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tonica, from FEMA’s records.
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $8K
Tonica isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: La Salle County.What Tonica 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
Drought
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tonica
Disasters that paid out in Tonica itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Tonica) and its biggest flood years.
- 2013Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
- 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$3K to the Village of Tonica for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding1 household applied for aid$5K to the Village of Tonica for repairs
- 2006Snow$2K to the Village of Tonica for repairs
- 2000Illinois Winter Snow Storms$1K to the Village of Tonica for repairs
- 1999Il-Winter Storm 1/1/99$3K to the Village of Tonica for repairs
La Salle County has had 18 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.
Old photos of Tonica after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tonica archive →Get ready for what Tonica 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.
- On a well? Know how deep it is and watch for sputtering.
- Follow the town’s watering limits.
- Fix drips: they add up.
- 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.
Disasters here can come any time of year
The month each of La Salle County’s 18 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 Tonica’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Tonica.
- 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 Tonica.
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.