Less hazard damage per building is expected in Laketon Township than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laketon Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #85 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1979.
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 Laketon 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 Laketon Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Laketon Township, and Laketon Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 8%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
A #85 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Laketon Township’s residents live in 2 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, Laketon Township has less expected damage per building than 88% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $981K a year in losses across Laketon Township: $764K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Laketon Township flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Laketon Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Laketon 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: Muskegon County.The storms Laketon Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Muskegon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Laketon Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20092 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20192 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20202 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Muskegon County has had 11 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.
Old photos of Laketon Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Laketon Township archive →Laketon Township and its neighbors
Laketon Township is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muskegon | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 17 |
| North Muskegon | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Laketon Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Muskegon Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Fruitland Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
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 Laketon 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 Laketon Township
Is Laketon Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Laketon Township has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #85 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and strong wind (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Laketon Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Laketon Township since 1979, $79K in all, or 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Laketon 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 Muskegon County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Laketon Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Laketon Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Laketon Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Laketon Township’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Laketon Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Laketon 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.