FEMA puts Pierson Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pierson Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #126 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then strong wind (12%). 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 Pierson 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
Tornadoes
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 Pierson Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pierson Township, and Pierson Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 12%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
A #126 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pierson Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Michigan town has lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pierson Township has less expected damage per building than 82% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $957K a year in losses across Pierson Township: $706K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pierson Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pierson Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pierson 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: Montcalm County.The storms Pierson Township remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Montcalm County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pierson Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Montcalm County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Pierson Township and its neighbors
Pierson Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Maple Valley Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Pierson Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Ensley Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Reynolds Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
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 Pierson 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.
- 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.
- 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 Pierson Township
Is Pierson Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pierson Township has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #126 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and strong wind (12%). 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.
Is Pierson 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 Montcalm County, 0.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Pierson Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pierson Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pierson Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Pierson Township’s rate for it is lower than 78% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pierson Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pierson 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.