Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Iron Mountain than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Iron Mountain gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #156 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then hail (16%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1996.
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 Iron Mountain 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
Hail
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 Iron Mountain’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Iron Mountain, and Iron Mountain’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 16%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
A #156 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Iron Mountain’s residents live in 4 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, Iron Mountain has less expected damage per building than 78% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.2M a year in losses across Iron Mountain: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Iron Mountain flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Iron Mountain, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Iron Mountain isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Dickinson County.The storms Iron Mountain remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Dickinson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Iron Mountain itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20022 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19961 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19991 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Dickinson County has had 2 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Iron Mountain after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Iron Mountain archive →Iron Mountain and its neighbors
Iron Mountain has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Mountain | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Kingsford | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Breitung Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Iron Mountain 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Iron Mountain
Is Iron Mountain at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Iron Mountain has lower expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #156 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hail (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Iron Mountain flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Iron Mountain since 1996, $13K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Iron Mountain 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 Dickinson County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Iron Mountain?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Iron Mountain’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Iron Mountain at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Iron Mountain’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Iron Mountain.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Iron Mountain’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.