Less hazard damage per building is expected in Royalton Township than in 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Royalton Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #537 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 47 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Royalton Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Royalton 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
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 Royalton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Royalton Township, and Royalton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts).
B #537 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Royalton 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, Royalton Township has more expected damage per building than 77% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Royalton Township: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Royalton Township flood? Sometimes: 47 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Royalton Township, from FEMA’s records: 26.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Royalton 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: Berrien County.The storms Royalton Township remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Berrien County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Royalton Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201825 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 198212 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for Berrien County
- 19854 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Berrien County has had 9 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 Royalton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Royalton Township archive →Royalton Township and its neighbors
Royalton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Township | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| St. Joseph Township | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 13 |
| Oronoko Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Royalton Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Lincoln Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Sodus Township | Bless damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Fair Plain | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Royalton 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.
- 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 Royalton Township
Is Royalton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Royalton Township has lower expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #537 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and tornadoes (6%). 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 Royalton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 47 claims in Royalton Township since 1978, $1.5M in all, or 26.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Royalton 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 Berrien County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Royalton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Royalton Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Royalton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Royalton Township’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Royalton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Royalton 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.