Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Norvell Township faces less hazard damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Norvell Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #527 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2008.
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 Norvell 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 Norvell Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Norvell Township, and Norvell Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
B #527 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Norvell Township’s residents live in 2 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, Norvell Township has more expected damage per building than 75% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $800K a year in losses across Norvell Township: $633K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Norvell Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2008
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Norvell Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike1 claim · $1K
Norvell 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: Jackson County.The storms Norvell Township remembers
None of the 7 disasters declared for Jackson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Norvell Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20081 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20101 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Jackson County has had 7 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 Norvell Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Norvell Township archive →Norvell Township and its neighbors
Norvell Township is 7th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon Township | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Columbia Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Manchester Township | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Grass Lake Township | A−less damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Napoleon Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Cambridge Township | B+less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Norvell Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Norvell 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 Norvell Township
Is Norvell Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Norvell Township has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #527 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and tornadoes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Norvell Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Norvell Township since 2008, $12K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (1).
Is Norvell 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 Jackson County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Norvell Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Norvell Township’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 Norvell Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 1 paid, $1K.
Is Norvell Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Norvell Township’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Norvell Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Norvell 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.