Loeb Farms Barn Complex · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Marion Township than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marion Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Marion 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 Marion Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Marion Township, and Marion Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 93% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Marion Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $496K a year in losses across Marion Township: $229K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Marion Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Marion Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Marion 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: Charlevoix County.The storms Marion Township remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Charlevoix County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Marion Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Charlevoix County has had 5 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.
Marion Township and its neighbors
Marion Township is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlevoix Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Marion Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Eveline Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Banks Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Norwood Township | — | 812 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 Marion 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 Marion Township
Is Marion Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marion Township has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Marion 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 Charlevoix County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Marion Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Marion Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Marion Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Marion Township’s rate for it is lower than 93% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marion Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Marion 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.