Less hazard damage per building is expected in Oakfield Township than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oakfield Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #76 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then tornadoes (16%). 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 Oakfield 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 Oakfield Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oakfield Township, and Oakfield Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 16% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).
A #76 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Oakfield Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Michigan town has lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. towns; within the state, Oakfield Township has less expected damage per building than 89% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Oakfield Township: $761K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oakfield Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Oakfield Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Oakfield 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: Kent County.The storms Oakfield Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Kent County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Oakfield Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
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.
Oakfield Township and its neighbors
Oakfield Township is 2nd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grattan Township | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oakfield Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Eureka Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Spencer Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Courtland Township | A−less damage than 81% | 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 Oakfield 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 Oakfield Township
Is Oakfield Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oakfield Township has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #76 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and tornadoes (16%). 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 Oakfield 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 Kent County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Oakfield Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oakfield Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Oakfield Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Oakfield Township’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oakfield Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oakfield 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.