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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in James Township · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in James Township than in 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, James Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). Flood insurance has paid 52 claims here since 2013.

River and rain flooding 92%Tornadoes 3%Strong wind 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 89%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Michigan · higher than 89% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
92% of expected building damage
Flood claims
52
paid since 2013 · $1.5M
Flooded more than once
8
properties
Flood claims per home
66 per 1,000
more than 94% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What James 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

92%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Hail Ice storms Earthquakes 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 10% of James 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 James Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 92% of the building damage FEMA expects in James Township, and James Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 3%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where James Township sits
James Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of James Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding92%Tornadoes3%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across James Township: $799K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of James Township’s 1,792 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the township’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does James Township flood? Sometimes: 52 flood claims since 2013

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in James Township, from FEMA’s records: 66.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2013: 10 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 4 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 36 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 2 claims201320172020
20132026
Biggest named events
  • The 2026-04-Flooding1 claim · $9K
52
paid claims since 2013
$1.5M
paid to owners
8
homes flooded more than once
$29K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

James 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: Saginaw County.
Disasters

The storms James Township remembers

None of the 15 disasters declared for Saginaw County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching James Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 202036 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Saginaw County
  2. 201310 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for Saginaw County
  3. 20174 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in James TownshipSaginaw County only

Saginaw County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the James Township archive →
Next door

James Township and its neighbors

James Township is 5th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Spaulding Township: hazard risk CSaginaw: hazard risk C+Saginaw Township: not gradedSwan Creek Township: hazard risk C+Thomas Township: hazard risk C+Shields: not gradedSpaulding TownshipSaginawSaginaw TownshipSwan Creek TownshipThomas TownshipShieldsJames Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Swan Creek TownshipC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding2
Thomas TownshipC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding83
SaginawC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding94
Spaulding TownshipCmore damage than 74%river and rain flooding62
James TownshipDmore damage than 89%river and rain flooding52
Saginaw Township—not graded yet
Shields—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.

Be ready

Get ready for what James 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 ↗
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 James Township

Is James Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, James Township has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (92%). 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.

Does James Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 52 claims in James Township since 2013, $1.5M in all, or 66.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 8 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from 2026-04-Flooding (1).

Is James 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 Saginaw County, 1.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in James Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for James Township’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 James Township?

By flood claims, 2026-04-Flooding: 1 paid, $9K.

Is James Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (92%), and James Township’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in James Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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