FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Austin Township than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from strong wind
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Austin Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is strong wind (59%), then river and rain flooding (35%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Austin Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Strong wind
River and rain flooding
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 Austin Township’s grade
Strong wind is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Austin Township, and Austin Township’s rate of strong wind damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 35% (lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts).
C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Austin Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $913K a year in losses across Austin Township: $768K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Austin Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Austin Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Austin 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: Mecosta County.The storms Austin Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Mecosta County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Austin Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Mecosta County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Austin Township and its neighbors
Austin Township is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colfax Township | C−more damage than 77% | strong wind | — |
| Morton Township | C−more damage than 77% | strong wind | — |
| Austin Township | C−more damage than 78% | strong wind | 0 |
| Deerfield Township | C−more damage than 79% | strong wind | — |
| Mecosta Township | C−more damage than 83% | strong wind | 28 |
| Canadian Lakes | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Stanwood | — | 162 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Austin 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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 Austin Township
Is Austin Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Austin Township has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is strong wind (59%) and river and rain flooding (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Austin 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 Mecosta County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Austin Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Austin Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Austin Township at risk from strong wind?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Austin Township’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Austin Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Austin 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.