Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Cheboygan than in 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cheboygan gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #513 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). 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 Cheboygan 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 Cheboygan’s grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cheboygan, and Cheboygan’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #513 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Cheboygan’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, Cheboygan has more expected damage per building than 73% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Cheboygan: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Cheboygan flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cheboygan. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Cheboygan isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cheboygan County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cheboygan
Disasters that paid out in Cheboygan itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Cheboygan), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding101 households applied for aid$991K aid approved
- 2025Severe Winter Storm$548K to the City of Cheboygan for repairs
Cheboygan County has had 5 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 Cheboygan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cheboygan archive →Cheboygan and its neighbors
Cheboygan is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaugrand Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Cheboygan | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Inverness Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Benton Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Cheboygan 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 Cheboygan
Is Cheboygan at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cheboygan has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #513 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Cheboygan 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 Cheboygan County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cheboygan?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cheboygan’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Cheboygan?
By FEMA money that reached Cheboygan, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2026): 101 households applied for aid, $991K approved.
Is Cheboygan at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Cheboygan’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cheboygan.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cheboygan’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.