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DowntownRochesterMIPhoto: Lrgjr72 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Rochester · FEMA

FEMA puts Rochester’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rochester gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #226 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2004.

River and rain flooding 78%Tornadoes 15%Strong wind 2%

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 85%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#226 of 701 in Michigan
Hazard risk
A−#226 of 701
in Michigan · lower than 85% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
78% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2004 · $188K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 11 declared for Oakland County
By hazard

What Rochester 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

78%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Hail Earthquakes Winter storms Hurricanes 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 14% of Rochester’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 Rochester’s grade

River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rochester, and Rochester’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 15% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Rochester sits
Rochester
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #226 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Rochester’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding78%Tornadoes15%Everything else6%

The typical Michigan town has lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. towns; within the state, Rochester has less expected damage per building than 68% of Michigan towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Rochester: $2.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Rochester covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Rochester flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2004

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rochester, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2004
20042026
1
paid claims since 2004
$188K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$188K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Oakland County.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rochester

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding18 households applied for aid$44K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes35 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
  3. 2014Severe Storms and Flooding9 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  4. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding18 households applied for aid$15K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2000Snow$19K to the City of Rochester for repairs
  6. 1999Mi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99$12K to the City of Rochester for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RochesterOakland County only

Oakland 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Rochester archive →
Next door

Rochester and its neighbors

Rochester is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Rochester Hills: hazard risk AShelby Township: hazard risk A−Rochester HillsShelby TownshipRochester
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Rochester HillsAless damage than 91%river and rain flooding4
RochesterA−less damage than 85%river and rain flooding1
Shelby TownshipA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding13

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Rochester 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 Rochester

Is Rochester at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rochester has lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #226 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Rochester flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Rochester since 2004, $188K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Rochester 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 Oakland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rochester?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rochester’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 Rochester?

By FEMA money that reached Rochester, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2023): 18 households applied for aid, $44K approved.

Is Rochester at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Rochester’s rate for it is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rochester.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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