Photo: Matt Morse · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Michigan Township faces less hazard damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Michigan Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #66 of 593 in Indiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then tornadoes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 19 claims here since 1979.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Michigan Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Michigan Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Michigan Township, and Michigan Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 18% (higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts).
A #66 of 593 in Indiana; lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Michigan Township’s residents live in 13 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Indiana town has lower expected damage than 60% of U.S. towns; within the state, Michigan Township has less expected damage per building than 89% of Indiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.9M a year in losses across Michigan Township: $4.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Michigan Township flood? Sometimes: 19 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Michigan Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike3 claims · $45K
Michigan Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: LaPorte County.The storms Michigan Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for LaPorte County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Michigan Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19933 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20083 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for LaPorte County
- 20093 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for LaPorte County
LaPorte County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Michigan Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Michigan Township archive →Michigan Township and its neighbors
Michigan Township is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan City | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Coolspring Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Michigan Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 19 |
| Springfield Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Michigan Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in Michigan Township
Is Michigan Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Michigan Township has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #66 of 593 in Indiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Michigan Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 19 claims in Michigan Township since 1979, $204K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (3).
Is Michigan Township in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In LaPorte County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Michigan Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Michigan Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Michigan Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 3 paid, $45K.
Is Michigan Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Michigan Township’s rate for it is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Michigan Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Michigan Township’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.