Photo: F. D. Richards · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Coldwater Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coldwater Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #365 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2008.
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 Coldwater 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
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 Coldwater Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Coldwater Township, and Coldwater Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 18% (higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts).
A− #365 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Coldwater Township’s residents live in 7 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, Coldwater Township has more expected damage per building than 52% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Coldwater Township: $790K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Coldwater Township flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Coldwater Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Coldwater 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: Branch County.The storms Coldwater Township remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Branch County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Coldwater Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20084 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20183 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20132 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Branch County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Coldwater Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Coldwater Township archive →Coldwater Township and its neighbors
Coldwater Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coldwater | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Coldwater Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Girard Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Quincy Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Batavia Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ovid Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
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 Coldwater 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.
- 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 Coldwater Township
Is Coldwater Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coldwater Township has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #365 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Coldwater Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Coldwater Township since 2008, $79K in all, or 4.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Coldwater 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 Branch County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Coldwater Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Coldwater Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Coldwater Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Coldwater Township’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Coldwater Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Coldwater 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.