Photo: User: (WT-shared) Haem85 at wts wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Peninsula Township than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Peninsula Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #28 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1986.
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 Peninsula 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 Peninsula Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Peninsula Township, and Peninsula Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #28 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Peninsula 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, Peninsula Township has less expected damage per building than 96% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Peninsula Township: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Peninsula Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Peninsula Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Peninsula 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 Peninsula Township remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Grand Traverse County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Peninsula Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19861 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19991 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20041 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 Peninsula Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Peninsula Township archive →Peninsula Township and its neighbors
Peninsula 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traverse City | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Peninsula Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
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 Peninsula 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 Peninsula Township
Is Peninsula Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Peninsula Township has lower expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #28 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Peninsula Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Peninsula Township since 1986, $24K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Peninsula 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 Peninsula Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Peninsula Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Peninsula Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Peninsula Township’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Peninsula Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Peninsula 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.