FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Elmwood Township than in 65% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elmwood Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 7 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 Elmwood 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 Elmwood Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Elmwood Township, and Elmwood Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 5%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Elmwood Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $566K a year in losses across Elmwood Township: $423K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Elmwood Township flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elmwood Township, from FEMA’s records: 14.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Elmwood 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 Elmwood Township remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Tuscola County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Elmwood Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19863 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Tuscola County
- 20192 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20202 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 Elmwood Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Elmwood Township archive →Elmwood Township and its neighbors
Elmwood Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Township | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Elmwood Township | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Elkland Township | Cmore damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Ellington Township | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brookfield Township | — | 839 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 Elmwood 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 Elmwood Township
Is Elmwood Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Elmwood Township has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Elmwood Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Elmwood Township since 1986, $152K in all, or 14.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Elmwood 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 Elmwood Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Elmwood Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Elmwood Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Elmwood Township’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elmwood Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Elmwood 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.