Porter Hollow Embankment and Culvert · Photo: Charlie Lemmink · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Algoma Township faces less hazard damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Algoma Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns, #516 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%), then tornadoes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1986.
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 Algoma 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 Algoma Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Algoma Township, and Algoma Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 10% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #516 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Algoma Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Michigan town has lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. towns; within the state, Algoma Township has more expected damage per building than 74% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Algoma Township: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Algoma Township flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Algoma Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Algoma 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: Kent County.The storms Algoma Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Kent County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Algoma Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20134 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for Kent County
- 19863 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Kent County
- 19942 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Kent County has had 10 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 Algoma Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Algoma Township archive →Algoma Township and its neighbors
Algoma Township is 5th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solon Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Courtland Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sparta Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Rockford | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Algoma Township | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Plainfield Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 175 |
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 Algoma 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 Algoma Township
Is Algoma Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Algoma Township has lower expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #516 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Algoma Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Algoma Township since 1986, $270K in all, or 3.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Algoma 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 Kent County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Algoma Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Algoma Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Algoma Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Algoma Township’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Algoma Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Algoma 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.