Photo: User Mxobe on en.wikipedia · Public domainFEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Kalamazoo Township than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kalamazoo Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #75 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 24 claims here since 1982.
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 Kalamazoo Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Kalamazoo 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
Hail
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 Kalamazoo Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kalamazoo Township, and Kalamazoo Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 16%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
A #75 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kalamazoo Township’s residents live in 6 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, Kalamazoo Township has less expected damage per building than 89% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.7M a year in losses across Kalamazoo Township: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kalamazoo Township flood? Sometimes: 24 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kalamazoo Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike5 claims · $71K
Kalamazoo 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: Kalamazoo County.The storms Kalamazoo Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Kalamazoo County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kalamazoo Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20188 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20087 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20092 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Kalamazoo County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Kalamazoo Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kalamazoo Township archive →Kalamazoo Township and its neighbors
Kalamazoo Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalamazoo Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 24 |
| Oshtemo Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Comstock Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Kalamazoo | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 114 |
| Cooper Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Parchment | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Eastwood | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Westwood | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Comstock Northwest | — | 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 Kalamazoo 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.
- 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.
- 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 Kalamazoo Township
Is Kalamazoo Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kalamazoo Township has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #75 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and tornadoes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kalamazoo Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 24 claims in Kalamazoo Township since 1982, $697K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (5).
Is Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kalamazoo Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 5 paid, $71K.
Is Kalamazoo Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Kalamazoo Township’s rate for it is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kalamazoo Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kalamazoo 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.