Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Manistee Township than in 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Manistee Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, #400 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1985.
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 Manistee 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
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 Manistee Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Manistee Township, and Manistee Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #400 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Manistee Township’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, Manistee Township has more expected damage per building than 57% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Manistee Township: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Manistee Township flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Manistee Township, from FEMA’s records: 4.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Manistee 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: Manistee County.The storms Manistee Township remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Manistee County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Manistee Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19863 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Manistee County
- 19852 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20201 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Manistee County has had 5 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 Manistee Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Manistee Township archive →Manistee Township and its neighbors
Manistee Township is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onekama Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Manistee Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Manistee | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Stronach Township | — | 957 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Eastlake | — | 318 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Brown Township | — | 580 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Manistee 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.
- 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 Manistee Township
Is Manistee Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Manistee Township has lower expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #400 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Manistee Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Manistee Township since 1985, $23K in all, or 4.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Manistee 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 Manistee County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Manistee Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Manistee Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Manistee Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Manistee Township’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Manistee Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Manistee 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.