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Flagpoles at Coopersville City HallPhoto: Travisvanvelzen · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Coopersville · FEMA

FEMA puts Coopersville’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coopersville gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns, #418 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 86%Tornadoes 6%Strong wind 5%

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

less than 73%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#418 of 701 in Michigan
Hazard risk
B+#418 of 701
in Michigan · lower than 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 13 declared for Ottawa County

What stands out about Coopersville’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 73% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Coopersville 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

86%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Tornadoes

6%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Earthquakes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Coopersville’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Coopersville, and Coopersville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Coopersville sits
Coopersville
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #418 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Coopersville’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Tornadoes6%Strong wind5%Everything else4%

The typical Michigan town has lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. towns; within the state, Coopersville has more expected damage per building than 60% of Michigan towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Coopersville: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Coopersville’s 4,828 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Coopersville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Coopersville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Coopersville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Ottawa County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Coopersville

Disasters that paid out in Coopersville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Coopersville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  2. 2000Snow$3K to the City of Coopersville for repairs
  3. 1999Mi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99$6K to the City of Coopersville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CoopersvilleOttawa County only

Ottawa County has had 13 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Coopersville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Coopersville archive →
Next door

Coopersville and its neighbors

Coopersville has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Polkton Township: hazard risk C+Polkton TownshipCoopersville
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
CoopersvilleB+less damage than 73%river and rain flooding0
Polkton TownshipC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding2

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Coopersville faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Coopersville

Is Coopersville at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coopersville has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #418 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (6%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Coopersville 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 Ottawa County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Coopersville?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Coopersville’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 Coopersville?

By FEMA money that reached Coopersville, Mi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99 (1999): $6K to the City of Coopersville for repairs.

Is Coopersville at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Coopersville’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Coopersville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Coopersville’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.