Natural hazards · Vandalia

Vandalia, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Vandalia comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2002.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Vandalia?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Vandalia to be higher than in 46% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding29%Earthquakes26%Cold waves15%Tornadoes12%Heat waves9%Strong wind6%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Vandalia faces

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

Inland flooding

29% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 31% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

26% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Cold waves

15% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 17% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places

Heat waves

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesLightningDrought

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 Vandalia flood?

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

1paid claims since 2002

$3Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20022026

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Fayette County.

Disasters that hit Vandalia

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into VandaliaDeclared for Fayette County only

Fayette County has had 6 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often tornadoes and winter storms.

Around Vandalia

Vandalia and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Sharonmostly inland floodingHigh

Seftonmostly inland floodingHigh

Vandaliamostly 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. Vandalia covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Vandalia’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Vandalia. 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 Vandalia total about $2.7M 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.