Benton Township’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Benton Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #538 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then tornadoes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1978.
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 Benton 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
Strong wind
Hail
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 Benton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Benton Township, and Benton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 16%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B #538 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Benton 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, Benton Township has more expected damage per building than 77% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $680K a year in losses across Benton Township: $524K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Benton Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Benton Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Benton 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: Eaton County.The storms Benton Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Eaton County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Benton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19781 flood claims paidThe year of Blizzards and Snowstorms, declared for Eaton County
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20111 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Eaton County has had 10 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.
Old photos of Benton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Benton Township archive →Benton Township and its neighbors
Benton Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potterville | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Eaton Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oneida Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Benton Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Chester Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Windsor Township | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 45 |
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 Benton 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Benton Township
Is Benton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Benton Township has lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #538 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and tornadoes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Benton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Benton Township since 1978, $30K in all, or 3.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Benton 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 Eaton County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Benton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Benton Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Benton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Benton Township’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Benton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Benton 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.