Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5Less hazard damage per building is expected in Ontonagon Township than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ontonagon Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1983.
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 Ontonagon 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
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 Ontonagon Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ontonagon Township, and Ontonagon Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ontonagon Township’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $816K a year in losses across Ontonagon Township: $462K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ontonagon Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ontonagon Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ontonagon 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: Ontonagon County.The storms Ontonagon Township remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Ontonagon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ontonagon Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19862 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19831 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Ontonagon County has had 5 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Ontonagon Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ontonagon Township archive →Ontonagon Township and its neighbors
Ontonagon Township is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontonagon | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Ontonagon Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Greenland Township | — | 685 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Carp Lake Township | — | 506 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Rockland Township | — | 366 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Matchwood Township | — | 105 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bohemia Township | — | 61 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Ontonagon 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.
- 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 Ontonagon Township
Is Ontonagon Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ontonagon Township has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ontonagon Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Ontonagon Township since 1983, $3K in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ontonagon 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 Ontonagon County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Ontonagon Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ontonagon Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ontonagon Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Ontonagon Township’s rate for it is lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ontonagon Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ontonagon 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.