First Presbyterian Church · Photo: kennethaw88 · CC BY 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Elkland Township faces more hazard damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elkland Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns, #689 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim 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 Elkland 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
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 Elkland Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elkland Township, and Elkland Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C #689 of 701 in Michigan; higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Elkland Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Michigan town has lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. towns; within the state, Elkland Township has more expected damage per building than 98% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Elkland Township: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Elkland Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elkland Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Elkland 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: Tuscola County.The storms Elkland Township remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Tuscola County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Elkland Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Tuscola County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Elkland Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elkland Township archive →Elkland Township and its neighbors
Elkland Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elmwood Township | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Cass City | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Elkland Township | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Novesta Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Grant Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Greenleaf Township | — | 793 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 Elkland 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.
- 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 Elkland Township
Is Elkland Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elkland Township has higher expected damage per building than 75% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #689 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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.
Does Elkland Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Elkland Township since 1979, $5K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Elkland 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 Tuscola County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Elkland Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elkland Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Elkland Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Elkland Township’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elkland Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Elkland 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.