Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Benzonia Township than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Benzonia Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #425 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Benzonia 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 Benzonia Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Benzonia Township, and Benzonia Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #425 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Benzonia Township’s residents live in 3 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, Benzonia Township has more expected damage per building than 61% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Benzonia Township: $941K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Benzonia Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Benzonia Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Benzonia 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: Benzie County.The storms Benzonia Township remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Benzie County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Benzonia Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Benzie County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Benzonia Township and its neighbors
Benzonia Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Lake Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Homestead Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Benzonia Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Lake Township | — | 794 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Joyfield Township | — | 632 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Weldon Township | — | 716 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Platte Township | — | 360 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 Benzonia 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 Benzonia Township
Is Benzonia Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Benzonia Township has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #425 of 701 in Michigan. 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.
Is Benzonia 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 Benzie County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Benzonia Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Benzonia Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Benzonia Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Benzonia Township’s rate for it is higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Benzonia Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Benzonia 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.