Photo: Larry Pieniazek, Lar (commons) or Lar(en:wp) (primary) · CC BY 2.5Storms, floods and disasters in Forest Hills
Forest Hills isn’t graded for hazard risk: Forest Hills is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 33 claims here since 1982.
What Forest Hills 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
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.
Does Forest Hills flood? Sometimes: 33 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Forest Hills, from FEMA’s records.
Forest Hills isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kent County.The storms Forest Hills remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Kent County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Forest Hills itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20048 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Kent County
- 20136 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for Kent County
- 19974 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Kent County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Forest Hills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Forest Hills archive →Forest Hills and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Kentwood | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Cannon Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Cascade Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Vergennes Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Lowell Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ada Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Plainfield Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 175 |
| Northview | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Forest Hills 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.
- 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 Forest Hills
Does Forest Hills flood?
Flood insurance has paid 33 claims in Forest Hills since 1982, $851K in all.
Is Forest Hills 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 Kent County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Forest Hills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Forest Hills’ 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 Forest Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Forest Hills’ 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.