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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Elm River Township · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Elm River Township

Elm River Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Elm River Township has 251 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 6 declared for Houghton County
By hazard

What Elm River 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

94%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Tornadoes Wildfire Winter storms Lightning Coastal flooding Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
HurricanesEarthquakesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 24% of Elm River Township’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Elm River Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Elm River 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: Houghton County.
Disasters

The storms Elm River Township remembers

None of the 6 disasters declared for Houghton County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Elm River Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Elm River TownshipHoughton County only

Houghton County has had 6 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.

Next door

Elm River Township and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Laird Township: not gradedBohemia Township: not gradedPortage Township: hazard risk A−Stanton Township: hazard risk A−Adams Township: hazard risk A−Laird TownshipBohemia TownshipPortage TownshipStanton TownshipAdams TownshipElm River Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Adams TownshipA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding—
Stanton TownshipA−less damage than 81%river and rain flooding—
Portage TownshipA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding—
Laird Township—389 residents; we grade 1,000+
Bohemia Township—61 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Elm River 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.

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 ↗
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 Elm River Township

Is Elm River 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 Houghton County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Elm River Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elm River Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elm River Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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