Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Olivet

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Hance HouseHance House · Photo: kennethaw88 · CC BY 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Olivet · FEMA

FEMA puts Olivet’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Olivet gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then tornadoes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2008.

River and rain flooding 66%Tornadoes 17%Strong wind 9%

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

less than 69%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Michigan · lower than 69% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
66% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2008 · $5K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 10 declared for Eaton County
By hazard

What Olivet 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

66%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

17%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hail

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Ice storms Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Lightning Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 10% of Olivet’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 Olivet’s grade

River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Olivet, and Olivet’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 17%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Olivet sits
Olivet
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding66%Tornadoes17%Strong wind9%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $325K a year in losses across Olivet: $239K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Olivet’s 1,517 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Walton township (2,293 residents) and Brookfield township (1,467 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Olivet flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2008

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Olivet, from FEMA’s records: 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2008
20082026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ike1 claim · $5K
1
paid claims since 2008
$5K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Olivet isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Eaton County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Olivet

Disasters that paid out in Olivet itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Olivet), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  2. 2000Snow$5K to the City of Olivet for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OlivetEaton County only

Eaton County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Olivet after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Olivet archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Olivet 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Olivet

Is Olivet at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Olivet has lower expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and tornadoes (17%). 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.

Does Olivet flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Olivet since 2008, $5K in all, or 2.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (1).

Is Olivet 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 Eaton County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Olivet?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Olivet’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 Olivet?

By FEMA money that reached Olivet, Snow (2000): $5K to the City of Olivet for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 1 paid, $5K.

Is Olivet at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Olivet’s rate for it is lower than 64% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Olivet.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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