Storms, floods and disasters in Northview
Northview isn’t graded for hazard risk: Northview is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 83 claims here since 1982.
What Northview 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.
Does Northview flood? Sometimes: 83 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Northview, from FEMA’s records.
Northview isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kent County.The storms Northview remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Kent County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Northview itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201323 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for Kent County
- 200419 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Kent County
- 201811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Kent County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Northview after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Northview archive →Northview and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Cannon Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Ada Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Plainfield Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 175 |
| Forest Hills | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Northview 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 Northview
Does Northview flood?
Flood insurance has paid 83 claims in Northview since 1982, $1.3M in all.
Is Northview 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 Kent County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Northview?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Northview’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Northview.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Northview’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.