Chocolay Township’s building-damage rate from hail is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chocolay Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #530 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then hail (23%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1985.
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 Chocolay 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
Hail
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 Chocolay Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chocolay Township, and Chocolay Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 23%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B #530 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Chocolay Township’s residents live in 3 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, Chocolay Township has more expected damage per building than 76% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Chocolay Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chocolay Township flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chocolay Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Chocolay 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: Marquette County.The storms Chocolay Township remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Marquette County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Chocolay Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19853 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20163 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19861 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Marquette County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Marquette County, 1999–1999.
Old photos of Chocolay Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chocolay Township archive →Chocolay Township and its neighbors
Chocolay Township is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Branch Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sands Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Chocolay Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Onota Township | — | 435 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Harvey | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Skandia Township | — | 994 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Chocolay 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Chocolay Township
Is Chocolay Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chocolay Township has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #530 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hail (23%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Chocolay Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Chocolay Township since 1985, $184K in all, or 3.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 53% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Chocolay 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 Marquette County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Chocolay Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chocolay Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Chocolay Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Chocolay Township’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chocolay Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chocolay 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.