St. Clair Flats South Channel Range Lights · Photo: US Coast Guard · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Clay Township faces less hazard damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clay Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #558 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 387 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 Clay Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Clay 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
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 Clay Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Clay Township, and Clay Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B #558 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Clay 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, Clay Township has more expected damage per building than 80% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Clay Township: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Clay Township flood? Yes: 387 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Clay Township, from FEMA’s records: 74.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Clay 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: St. Clair County.The storms Clay Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for St. Clair County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Clay Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 1986149 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 198597 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 201971 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
St. Clair County has had 8 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.
Old photos of Clay Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Clay Township archive →Clay Township and its neighbors
Clay 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottrellville Township | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Ira Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 85 |
| Clay Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 387 |
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 Clay 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.
- 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 Clay Township
Is Clay Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Clay Township has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #558 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and tornadoes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Clay Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 387 claims in Clay Township since 1979, $2.0M in all, or 74.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 18 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Clay 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 St. Clair County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Clay Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Clay Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Clay Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Clay Township’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Clay Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Clay 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.