Marantette Bridge · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Mendon Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mendon Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #642 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2018.
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 Mendon 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
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 Mendon Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mendon Township, and Mendon Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #642 of 701 in Michigan; higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Mendon Township’s residents live in 3 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, Mendon Township has more expected damage per building than 92% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Mendon Township: $894K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Mendon Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2018
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mendon Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Mendon 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: St. Joseph County.The storms Mendon Township remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for St. Joseph County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mendon Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20182 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
St. Joseph County has had 5 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Mendon Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mendon Township archive →Mendon Township and its neighbors
Mendon Township is 5th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakeshma Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Brady Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Park Township | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Nottawa Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Mendon Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Leonidas Township | C+more damage than 58% | 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 Mendon 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.
- 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 Mendon Township
Is Mendon Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mendon Township has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #642 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Mendon Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Mendon Township since 2018, $35K in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Mendon 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 St. Joseph County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mendon Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mendon Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Mendon Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Mendon Township’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mendon Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mendon 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.