FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Bear Lake Township than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bear Lake Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). Flood insurance has paid 8 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 Bear Lake 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 Bear Lake Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bear Lake Township, and Bear Lake Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bear Lake Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $627K a year in losses across Bear Lake Township: $398K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bear Lake Township flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bear Lake Township, from FEMA’s records: 8.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bear Lake 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: Manistee County.The storms Bear Lake Township remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Manistee County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bear Lake Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20204 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20193 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19861 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Manistee County
Manistee County has had 5 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.
Old photos of Bear Lake Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bear Lake Township archive →Bear Lake Township and its neighbors
Bear Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onekama Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Bear Lake Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Maple Grove Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brown Township | — | 580 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Pleasanton Township | — | 794 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 Bear Lake 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 Bear Lake Township
Is Bear Lake Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bear Lake Township has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bear Lake Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Bear Lake Township since 1986, $141K in all, or 8.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 70% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bear Lake 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 Manistee County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Bear Lake Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bear Lake Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Bear Lake Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Bear Lake Township’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bear Lake Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bear Lake 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.