Edward Loranger House · Photo: Notorious4life at en.wikipedia · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Frenchtown Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Frenchtown Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #613 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then tornadoes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 275 claims here since 1978.
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 Frenchtown Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Frenchtown 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
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 Frenchtown Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Frenchtown Township, and Frenchtown Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #613 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Frenchtown Township’s residents live in 8 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Michigan town has lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. towns; within the state, Frenchtown Township has more expected damage per building than 87% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.5M a year in losses across Frenchtown Township: $5.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Frenchtown Township flood? Yes: 275 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Frenchtown Township, from FEMA’s records: 27.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Frenchtown 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: Monroe County.The storms Frenchtown Township remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Monroe County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Frenchtown Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 1985133 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 201830 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 198023 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Monroe County has had 7 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 Frenchtown Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Frenchtown Township archive →Frenchtown Township and its neighbors
Frenchtown Township is 2nd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ash Township | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Frenchtown Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 275 |
| Berlin Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 146 |
| Monroe Township | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 153 |
| Raisinville Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Monroe | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 62 |
| Stony Point | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Woodland Beach | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Detroit Beach | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Estral Beach | — | 372 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| West Monroe | — | 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 Frenchtown 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.
- 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 Frenchtown Township
Is Frenchtown Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Frenchtown Township has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #613 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (10%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Frenchtown Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 275 claims in Frenchtown Township since 1978, $2.5M in all, or 27.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 19 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Frenchtown 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 Monroe County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Frenchtown Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Frenchtown Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Frenchtown Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Frenchtown Township’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Frenchtown Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Frenchtown 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.