Photo: Ben Scripps · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Paradise Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Paradise Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #93 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2012.
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 Paradise 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
Strong wind
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 Paradise Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Paradise Township, and Paradise Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Next is strong wind at 5% (higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts).
A #93 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Paradise Township’s residents live in 3 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, Paradise Township has less expected damage per building than 87% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Paradise Township: $627K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Paradise Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2012
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Paradise Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Paradise 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: Grand Traverse County.The storms Paradise Township remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Grand Traverse County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Paradise Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20121 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Grand Traverse County has had 3 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 Paradise Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Paradise Township archive →Paradise Township and its neighbors
Paradise Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Bay Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Mayfield Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Fife Lake Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Paradise Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Blair Township | A−less damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Greenwood Township | — | 830 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 Paradise 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Paradise Township
Is Paradise Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Paradise Township has lower expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #93 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and strong wind (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Paradise Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Paradise Township since 2012, $18K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Paradise 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 Grand Traverse County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Paradise Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Paradise Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Paradise Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Paradise Township’s rate for it is lower than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Paradise Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Paradise 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.