Less hazard damage per building is expected in Ferris Township than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ferris Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then tornadoes (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Ferris 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
Tornadoes
Strong wind
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 Ferris Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ferris Township, and Ferris Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 13%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ferris Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $461K a year in losses across Ferris Township: $338K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ferris Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ferris Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Ferris 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: Montcalm County.The storms Ferris Township remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Montcalm County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ferris Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Montcalm County has had 9 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.
Ferris Township and its neighbors
Ferris 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day Township | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Richland Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ferris Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Sumner Township | Cmore damage than 66% | 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 Ferris 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Ferris Township
Is Ferris Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ferris Township has lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and tornadoes (14%). 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 Ferris 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 Montcalm County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Ferris Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ferris Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ferris Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Ferris Township’s rate for it is lower than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ferris Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ferris 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.