Storms, floods and disasters in Platte Township
Platte Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Platte Township has 360 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2020.
What Platte 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.
Does Platte Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2020
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Platte Township, from FEMA’s records.
Platte 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: Benzie County.The storms Platte Township remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Benzie County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Platte Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20201 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Benzie 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 Platte Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Platte Township archive →Platte Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Almira Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Inland Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Empire Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Homestead Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Benzonia Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lake Township | — | 794 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 Platte 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 Platte Township
Does Platte Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Platte Township since 2020, $35K in all.
Is Platte 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 Benzie County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Platte Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Platte Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Platte Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Platte 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.