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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Fork Township · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Fork Township than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fork Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%), then strong wind (44%). Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 2004.

River and rain flooding 52%Strong wind 44%Tornadoes 3%

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

more than 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Michigan · higher than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
52% of expected building damage
Flood claims
11
paid since 2004 · $219K
Flooded more than once
3
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood claims per home
12 per 1,000
more than 76% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Fork 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

52%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Strong wind

44%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Earthquakes Ice storms Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 8% of Fork 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Fork Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fork Township, and Fork Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 44%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Fork Township sits
Fork Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Fork Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding52%Strong wind44%Tornadoes3%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $857K a year in losses across Fork Township: $712K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Fork Township covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Fork Township flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 2004

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fork Township, from FEMA’s records: 11.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 5 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 2 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420142018
20042026
11
paid claims since 2004
$219K
paid to owners
3
homes flooded more than once
$20K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Fork 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: Mecosta County.
Disasters

The storms Fork Township remembers

None of the 10 disasters declared for Mecosta County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fork Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20145 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  2. 20182 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  3. 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Mecosta County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Fork TownshipMecosta County only

Mecosta County has had 10 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Fork Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Fork Township archive →
Next door

Fork Township and its neighbors

Fork Township is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Coldwater Township: not gradedSheridan Township: hazard risk C−Chippewa Township: hazard risk C−Orient Township: not gradedColdwater TownshipSheridan TownshipChippewa TownshipOrient TownshipFork Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Chippewa TownshipC−more damage than 75%strong wind—
Sheridan TownshipC−more damage than 77%strong wind—
Fork TownshipC−more damage than 82%river and rain flooding11
Coldwater Township—794 residents; we grade 1,000+
Orient Township—632 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 Fork 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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Fork Township

Is Fork Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fork Township has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%) and strong wind (44%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Fork Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Fork Township since 2004, $219K in all, or 11.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Fork 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 Mecosta County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Fork Township?

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

Is Fork Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Fork Township’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fork Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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