Portsmouth Township’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Portsmouth Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #619 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then tornadoes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1985.
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 Portsmouth 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
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 Portsmouth Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Portsmouth Township, and Portsmouth Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 7%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #619 of 701 in Michigan; higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Portsmouth 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, Portsmouth Township has more expected damage per building than 88% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Portsmouth Township: $664K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Portsmouth Township flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Portsmouth Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Portsmouth 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: Bay County.The storms Portsmouth Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Bay County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Portsmouth Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19865 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Bay County
- 19851 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Bay County
- 20201 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Bay County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Portsmouth Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Portsmouth Township archive →Portsmouth Township and its neighbors
Portsmouth Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buena Vista Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Bay City | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 57 |
| Merritt Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Portsmouth Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Frankenlust Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Hampton Township | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
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 Portsmouth 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.
- 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 Portsmouth Township
Is Portsmouth Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Portsmouth Township has higher expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #619 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (10%). 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.
Does Portsmouth Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Portsmouth Township since 1985, $70K in all, or 5.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Portsmouth 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 Bay County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Portsmouth Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Portsmouth Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Portsmouth Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Portsmouth Township’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Portsmouth Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Portsmouth 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.