FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Colfax Township than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from strong wind
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Colfax Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is strong wind (53%), then river and rain flooding (42%). 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 Colfax Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Strong wind
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 Colfax Township’s grade
Strong wind is 53% of the building damage FEMA expects in Colfax Township, and Colfax Township’s rate of strong wind damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 42% (lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts).
C− higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Colfax Township’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Colfax Township: $973K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Colfax Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Colfax Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Colfax 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: Mecosta County.The storms Colfax Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Mecosta County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Colfax Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Mecosta County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Colfax Township and its neighbors
Colfax Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martiny Township | Cmore damage than 74% | strong wind | 1 |
| Colfax Township | C−more damage than 77% | strong wind | 0 |
| Austin Township | C−more damage than 78% | strong wind | — |
| Big Rapids Township | Dmore damage than 85% | strong wind | 13 |
| Grant Township | — | 746 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 Colfax 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Colfax Township
Is Colfax Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Colfax Township has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is strong wind (53%) and river and rain flooding (42%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Colfax 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 Mecosta County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Colfax Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Colfax Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Colfax Township at risk from strong wind?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (53%), and Colfax Township’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Colfax Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Colfax 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.