FEMA Records
1
Total declarations
Illinois · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Will County, IL
1 FEMA disaster declarations (2024–2024), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Flood.
- 1
- FEMA declarations
- 1
- Major disasters
- 97
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Flood
- Top hazard
The verdict
Will County ranks in the riskiest 3% of U.S. counties for FEMA-modeled hazard risk, with more federally declared disasters than 0% of the 2,791 counties FEMA tracks. FEMA rates the county's overall risk as Relatively High, based on 1 federal disaster declarations recorded since 2024, most often flood, 74% below the national county average of 4.
- Riskiest 3%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 1
- FEMA declarations vs 4 national county avg
- 1
- flood declarations, the most common hazard here
FEMA's National Risk Index score reflects expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience; the declaration count above reflects only Presidentially declared disasters, not every hazard event.
How does Will County compare?
Will County vs. every U.S. county
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
1 0th percentile higher than 0% of 2,791 counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-07-25
Will County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the Illinois county average
How disaster-prone is Will County?
Declaration frequency
Will County, Illinois has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2024 and 2024, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at - declarations per year, or roughly 18% below the Illinois county average of 1.2 and 74% below the national county average of 3.8. The dominant disaster type on record is Flood, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 97.3/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $348.1M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Very Low and community resilience Very High, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Cold Wave stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High.
Flood exposure & the bottom line
Taken together, Will County's federal disaster history is about as quiet as U.S. counties get, a very low relative risk level on this measure.
Risk Assessment
Risk Level
Very Low
vs. Illinois Avg
-18%
State avg: 1.2
vs. National Avg
-74%
National avg: 3.8
Avg Per Year
-
-
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Will County
How to read this radar
The radar plots Will County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance. A rounder polygon means broad multi-hazard exposure; a spiky polygon means one or two dominant hazards drive most of the modeled risk.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
17197
IL state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Flood 1
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 1 100.0%
of all 1 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4819 | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODNG | DR | Flood | 2024-09-20 |
Storm Events in Illinois
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 8,914 | 9 | 82 | $49.5M |
| Hail | 3,712 | 0 | 0 | $27.1M |
| Winter Weather | 1,778 | 16 | 53 | $1.8M |
| Flood | 1,362 | 14 | 11 | $84.4M |
| Flash Flood | 1,354 | 12 | 3 | $1.6B |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 97.3/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$348.1M/year
Social Vulnerability
Very Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Cold Wave Very High
Tornado Very High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Lightning Relatively High
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Wildfire Very Low
Strong Wind Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Hurricane Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
Counties with Similar Risk in Illinois
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Will County, Illinois had?
Will County, Illinois has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2024 to 2024. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Will County?
The most common disaster type in Will County is Flood, with 1 declaration.
How does Will County's disaster risk compare to the Illinois average?
Will County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 18% lower than the Illinois county average of 1.2 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.8, it is 74% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Will County received?
Will County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 100% of all 1 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Illinois?
The most common storm types in Illinois include Thunderstorm Wind (8,914 events), Hail (3,712 events), Winter Weather (1,778 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Will County?
Will County has just 1 FEMA disaster declaration on record, placing it in the very-low-risk band, among the quieter counties in FEMA's declaration history.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Will County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Will County, Illinois has an overall risk score of 97.3 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $348.1M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Will County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Will County is Cold Wave (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Tornado (Very High) and Heat Wave (Relatively Moderate). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
Data Sources & Methodology
Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.
Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.
This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.
What this means for Will County
Will County, IL runs 18% below the Illinois county average for federal disaster declarations (1 vs 1), a very low historical load overall.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (1 of 1) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Illinois overview
- See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
- Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this profile draws on 2,791 tracked U.S. counties in FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries dataset, refreshed as of 2026-07-25. Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 - all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) - per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database - state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015–2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, or report a data error.