Photo: Ken (Sentrawoods) · CC BY-SA 2.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Chesaning Township than in 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chesaning Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #442 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then tornadoes (10%). 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 Chesaning 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 Chesaning Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chesaning Township, and Chesaning Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 9%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #442 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Chesaning Township’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, Chesaning Township has more expected damage per building than 63% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Chesaning Township: $941K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chesaning Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Chesaning Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Chesaning 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: Saginaw County.The storms Chesaning Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Saginaw County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Chesaning Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Saginaw County has had 15 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.
Chesaning Township and its neighbors
Chesaning Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesaning Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| New Haven Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brady Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Maple Grove Township | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| St. Charles Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
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 Chesaning 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 Chesaning Township
Is Chesaning Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chesaning Township has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #442 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Chesaning 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 Saginaw County, 1.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Chesaning Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chesaning Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Chesaning Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Chesaning Township’s rate for it is lower than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chesaning Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chesaning 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.