Byron Historic Commercial District · Photo: kennethaw88 · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts Burns Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Burns Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #503 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then tornadoes (19%). 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 Burns 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
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 Burns Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Burns Township, and Burns Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #503 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Burns Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Michigan town has lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. towns; within the state, Burns Township has more expected damage per building than 72% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $981K a year in losses across Burns Township: $502K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Burns Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Burns Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Burns 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: Shiawassee County.The storms Burns Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Shiawassee County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Burns Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Shiawassee 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.
Burns Township and its neighbors
Burns Township is 4th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cohoctah Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Argentine Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Antrim Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Burns Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Vernon Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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 Burns 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.
- 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 Burns Township
Is Burns Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Burns Township has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #503 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and tornadoes (19%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Burns 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 Shiawassee County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Burns Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Burns Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Burns Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Burns Township’s rate for it is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Burns Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Burns 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.