For strong wind, Castleton Township’s building-damage rate is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Castleton Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #631 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 138 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Castleton Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Castleton 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 Castleton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Castleton Township, and Castleton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 6%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #631 of 701 in Michigan; higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Castleton 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, Castleton Township has more expected damage per building than 90% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Castleton Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Castleton Township flood? Yes: 138 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Castleton Township, from FEMA’s records: 96.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Castleton 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: Barry County.The storms Castleton Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Barry County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Castleton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198227 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 198524 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 200422 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Barry County
Barry County has had 11 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 Castleton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Castleton Township archive →Castleton Township and its neighbors
Castleton Township is 6th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermontville Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Maple Grove Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Hastings Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 59 |
| Woodland Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Nashville | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Castleton Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 138 |
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 Castleton 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 Castleton Township
Is Castleton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Castleton Township has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #631 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and tornadoes (12%). 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.
Does Castleton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 138 claims in Castleton Township since 1979, $1.8M in all, or 96.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 27 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Castleton 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 Barry County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Castleton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Castleton Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Castleton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Castleton Township’s rate for it is higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Castleton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Castleton 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.