Detroit-Bay City Railroad Company Columbiaville Depot · Photo: Paul R. Burley · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Marathon Township than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marathon Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #457 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then tornadoes (11%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Marathon 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
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 Marathon Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Marathon Township, and Marathon Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 7%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #457 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Marathon 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, Marathon Township has more expected damage per building than 65% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Marathon Township: $851K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Marathon Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Marathon Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Marathon 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: Lapeer County.The storms Marathon Township remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Lapeer County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Marathon Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Lapeer County has had 7 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Marathon Township and its neighbors
Marathon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Township | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Deerfield Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Marathon Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Watertown Township | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oregon Township | B−less damage than 55% | 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 Marathon 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.
- 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 Marathon Township
Is Marathon Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marathon Township has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #457 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Marathon 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 Lapeer County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Marathon Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Marathon Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Marathon Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Marathon Township’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marathon Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Marathon 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.