Photo: Rklawton · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Negaunee’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Negaunee gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #113 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%), then hail (34%). 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 Negaunee 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
Hail
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 Negaunee’s grade
River and rain flooding is 62% of the building damage FEMA expects in Negaunee, and Negaunee’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 34%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
A #113 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Negaunee’s residents live in 5 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, Negaunee has less expected damage per building than 84% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Negaunee: $532K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Negaunee flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Negaunee. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Negaunee isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Marquette County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Negaunee
Disasters that paid out in Negaunee itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Negaunee), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Flooding$22K to the City of Negaunee for repairs
- 1999Mi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99$11K to the City of Negaunee for repairs
Marquette 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.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Marquette County, 1999–1999.
Old photos of Negaunee after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Negaunee archive →Negaunee and its neighbors
Negaunee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ishpeming Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Negaunee | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Negaunee Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ishpeming | A−less damage than 80% | 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 Negaunee 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Negaunee
Is Negaunee at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Negaunee has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #113 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (62%) and hail (34%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Negaunee 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 Marquette County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Negaunee?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Negaunee’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 Negaunee?
By FEMA money that reached Negaunee, Flooding (2013): $22K to the City of Negaunee for repairs.
Is Negaunee at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (62%), and Negaunee’s rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Negaunee.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Negaunee’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.