Less hazard damage per building is expected in Comstock Township than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Comstock Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #159 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then tornadoes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 23 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 Comstock Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Comstock 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 Comstock Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Comstock Township, and Comstock Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 14%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
A #159 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Comstock Township’s residents live in 4 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, Comstock Township has less expected damage per building than 77% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.8M a year in losses across Comstock Township: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Comstock Township flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Comstock Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike10 claims · $98K
Comstock 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: Kalamazoo County.The storms Comstock Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Kalamazoo County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Comstock Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 200811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20184 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19852 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Kalamazoo County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Comstock Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Comstock Township archive →Comstock Township and its neighbors
Comstock Township is 3rd of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalamazoo Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Richland Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Comstock Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Galesburg | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Kalamazoo | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 114 |
| Charleston Township | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Pavilion Township | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Eastwood | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Comstock 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 Comstock Township
Is Comstock Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Comstock Township has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #159 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and tornadoes (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Comstock Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Comstock Township since 1979, $238K in all, or 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (10).
Is Comstock 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 Kalamazoo County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Comstock Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Comstock Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Comstock Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 10 paid, $98K.
Is Comstock Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Comstock Township’s rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Comstock Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Comstock 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.