Natural hazards · River Forest

River Forest, IN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in River Forest comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is River Forest?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in River Forest to be higher than in 25% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding51%Tornadoes17%Cold waves11%Strong wind6%Earthquakes5%Everything else10%

By hazard

What River Forest faces

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

Inland flooding

51% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 38% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

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

Cold waves

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 56% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 53% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesLightningDrought

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 River Forest flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in River Forest.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Madison County.

Disasters that hit River Forest

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into River ForestDeclared for Madison County only

Madison County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around River Forest

River Forest and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Andersonmostly inland floodingLow

River Forestmostly inland floodingLow

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. River Forest is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to River Forest’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of River Forest. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.