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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Reading · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Reading than in 73% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Reading gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (16%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 74%Tornadoes 16%Hail 4%

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

less than 73%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Michigan · lower than 73% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
74% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
1
of 5 declared for Hillsdale County
By hazard

What Reading 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

74%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Tornadoes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Hurricanes Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 10% of Reading’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Reading’s grade

River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Reading, and Reading’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 16% (higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Reading sits
Reading
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Reading’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding74%Tornadoes16%Hail4%Everything else5%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $328K a year in losses across Reading: $241K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Reading’s 1,094 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Reading township (1,732 residents) and Allen township (1,602 residents) and Allen village (201 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Reading flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Reading. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Reading isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Hillsdale County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Reading

Disasters that paid out in Reading itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Reading), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2000Snow$4K to the City of Reading for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ReadingHillsdale County only

Hillsdale County has had 5 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Reading after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Reading archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Reading faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Reading

Is Reading at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Reading has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (16%). 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 Reading 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 Hillsdale County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Reading?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Reading’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Reading?

By FEMA money that reached Reading, Snow (2000): $4K to the City of Reading for repairs.

Is Reading at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Reading’s rate for it is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Reading.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Reading’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.