More hazard damage per building is expected in Filer Township than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Filer Township gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). 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 Filer 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 Filer Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 97% of the building damage FEMA expects in Filer Township, and Filer Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Filer Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Filer Township: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Filer Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Filer Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Filer 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: Manistee County.The storms Filer Township remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Manistee County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Filer Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Manistee County has had 5 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.
Filer Township and its neighbors
Filer Township is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manistee | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Filer Township | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Stronach Township | — | 957 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Grant Township | — | 927 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 Filer 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 Filer Township
Is Filer Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Filer Township has higher expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (97%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Filer 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 Manistee County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Filer Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Filer Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Filer Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (97%), and Filer Township’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Filer Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Filer 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.