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BrandonTownshipHallPhoto: User:Bryan Duggan · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Brandon Township · FEMA

FEMA puts Brandon Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brandon Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #314 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then tornadoes (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 77%Tornadoes 18%Strong wind 2%

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

less than 79%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#314 of 701 in Michigan
Hazard risk
A−#314 of 701
in Michigan · lower than 79% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 11 declared for Oakland County
By hazard

What Brandon 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

77%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Hail Earthquakes Winter storms Wildfire Lightning Hurricanes Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 16% of Brandon Township’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Brandon Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brandon Township, and Brandon Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 18% (higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Brandon Township sits
Brandon Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #314 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Brandon Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding77%Tornadoes18%Everything else6%

The typical Michigan town has lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. towns; within the state, Brandon Township has less expected damage per building than 55% of Michigan towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.1M a year in losses across Brandon Township: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Brandon Township covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Brandon Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Brandon Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Brandon 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: Oakland County.
Disasters

The storms Brandon Township remembers

None of the 11 disasters declared for Oakland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Brandon Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Brandon TownshipOakland County only

Oakland County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Next door

Brandon Township and its neighbors

Brandon Township is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Groveland Township: hazard risk AIndependence Township: hazard risk AHadley Township: hazard risk A−Oxford Township: hazard risk A+Groveland TownshipIndependence TownshipHadley TownshipOxford TownshipBrandon Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Oxford TownshipA+less damage than 95%river and rain flooding—
Independence TownshipAless damage than 91%river and rain flooding2
Groveland TownshipAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding—
Brandon TownshipA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding0
Hadley TownshipA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding—

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Brandon 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Brandon Township

Is Brandon Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brandon Township has lower expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #314 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and tornadoes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Brandon 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 Oakland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Brandon Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brandon Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Brandon Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Brandon Township’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brandon Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brandon 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.