On FEMA’s figures, Egelston Township faces less hazard damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Egelston Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #138 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1986.
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 Egelston 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
Strong wind
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 Egelston Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Egelston Township, and Egelston Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 10%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
A #138 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Egelston Township’s residents live in 2 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, Egelston Township has less expected damage per building than 80% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Egelston Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Egelston Township flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Egelston Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Egelston 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: Muskegon County.The storms Egelston Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Muskegon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Egelston Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20203 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19861 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Muskegon County
- 19871 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Muskegon County has had 11 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.
Old photos of Egelston Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Egelston Township archive →Egelston Township and its neighbors
Egelston Township is 2nd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Creek Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Egelston Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Muskegon Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Moorland Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sullivan Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Egelston 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Egelston Township
Is Egelston Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Egelston Township has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #138 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and strong wind (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Egelston Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Egelston Township since 1986, $39K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Egelston 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 Muskegon County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Egelston Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Egelston Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Egelston Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Egelston Township’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Egelston Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Egelston 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.