City of Milwaukee · Photo: Bill Herd · Public domainFEMA puts Frankfort’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Frankfort gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 stands out about Frankfort’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Frankfort 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 Frankfort’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Frankfort, and Frankfort’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Frankfort’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $535K a year in losses across Frankfort: $360K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Frankfort flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Frankfort. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Frankfort isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Benzie County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Frankfort
Disasters that paid out in Frankfort itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Frankfort), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
Benzie County has had 3 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 Frankfort after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Frankfort archive →Frankfort and its neighbors
Frankfort has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfort | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Crystal Lake Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Elberta | — | 174 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Gilmore Township | — | 728 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 Frankfort 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 Frankfort
Is Frankfort at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Frankfort has lower expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Frankfort 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 Benzie County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Frankfort?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Frankfort’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Frankfort?
By FEMA money that reached Frankfort, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2026): 1 households applied for aid, $7K approved.
Is Frankfort at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Frankfort’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Frankfort.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Frankfort’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.