On FEMA’s figures, Garfield Township faces less hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Garfield Township gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #354 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). 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 Garfield 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
Strong wind
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 Garfield Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Garfield Township, and Garfield Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 9%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #354 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Garfield Township’s residents live in 3 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, Garfield Township has more expected damage per building than 50% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $649K a year in losses across Garfield Township: $477K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Garfield Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Garfield Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Garfield 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: Newaygo County.The storms Garfield Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Newaygo County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Garfield Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Newaygo 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.
Garfield Township and its neighbors
Garfield Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Sherman Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sheridan Township | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Garfield Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Ashland Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Newaygo | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Garfield 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Garfield Township
Is Garfield Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Garfield Township has lower expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #354 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and strong wind (9%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Garfield 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 Newaygo County, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Garfield Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Garfield Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Garfield Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Garfield Township’s rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Garfield Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Garfield 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.