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Newberry, MIPhoto: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Newberry · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Newberry than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newberry 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 (90%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 90%Hail 7%Wildfire 1%

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

among the lowestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A+
in Michigan · among the lowest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
0
of 2 declared for Luce County
By hazard

What Newberry 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

90%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Strong wind Tornadoes Winter storms Lightning Earthquakes Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 11% of Newberry’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Newberry’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Newberry, and Newberry’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hail at 7% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Newberry sits
Newberry
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Newberry’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Hail7%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $308K a year in losses across Newberry: $250K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Newberry’s 1,446 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Newberry flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Newberry. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

Disasters

The storms Newberry remembers

None of the 2 disasters declared for Luce County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Newberry itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NewberryLuce County only

Luce County has had 2 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Newberry faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Newberry

Is Newberry at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newberry 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 (90%) and hail (7%). 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 Newberry 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.

How much is flood insurance in Newberry?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Newberry’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Newberry at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Newberry’s rate for it is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Newberry.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Newberry’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.