Paw Paw City Hall · Photo: Teemu08 · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Paw Paw Township faces less hazard damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Paw Paw Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #424 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then hail (20%). 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 Paw Paw 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
Hail
Tornadoes
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 Paw Paw Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Paw Paw Township, and Paw Paw Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 20%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #424 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Paw Paw 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, Paw Paw Township has more expected damage per building than 60% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Paw Paw Township: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Paw Paw Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Paw Paw Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Paw Paw 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: Van Buren County.The storms Paw Paw Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Van Buren County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Paw Paw Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Van Buren 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.
Paw Paw Township and its neighbors
Paw Paw Township is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Paw Paw | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Paw Paw Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Antwerp Township | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Lawrence Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Waverly Township | B−less damage than 51% | 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 Paw Paw 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Paw Paw Township
Is Paw Paw Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Paw Paw Township has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #424 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and hail (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Paw Paw 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 Van Buren County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Paw Paw Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Paw Paw Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Paw Paw Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Paw Paw Township’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Paw Paw Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Paw Paw 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.