Horton Bary School · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Bay Township than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bay Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Bay 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
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 Bay Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bay Township, and Bay Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bay Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $356K a year in losses across Bay Township: $185K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bay Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bay Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bay 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: Charlevoix County.The storms Bay Township remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Charlevoix County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bay Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Charlevoix County has had 5 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Bay Township and its neighbors
Bay Township is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayes Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Bay Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Resort Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| Evangeline Township | — | 696 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Horton Bay | — | 374 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 Bay 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.
- 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 Bay Township
Is Bay Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bay Township has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Bay 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 Charlevoix County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bay Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bay Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Bay Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Bay Township’s rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bay Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bay 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.