Van Wagoner, Murray D., Memorial Bridge · Photo: Michael Ceresko · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Morenci than in 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Morenci gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then tornadoes (13%). 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 Morenci 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 Morenci’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Morenci, and Morenci’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 6%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Morenci’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $710K a year in losses across Morenci: $481K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Morenci flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Morenci. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Morenci isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lenawee County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Morenci
Disasters that paid out in Morenci itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Morenci), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 1999Mi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99$2K to the City of Morenci for repairs
Lenawee County has had 3 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 Morenci after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Morenci archive →Morenci and its neighbors
Morenci is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Medina Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Morenci | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Morenci 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 Morenci
Is Morenci at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Morenci has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (13%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Morenci 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 Lenawee County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Morenci?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Morenci’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Morenci?
By FEMA money that reached Morenci, Mi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99 (1999): $2K to the City of Morenci for repairs.
Is Morenci at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Morenci’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Morenci.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Morenci’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.