Navigation Structures at Saugatuck Harbor · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Saugatuck Township faces less hazard damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Saugatuck Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #507 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%). Flood insurance has paid 4 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 Saugatuck 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 Saugatuck Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Saugatuck Township, and Saugatuck Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #507 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Saugatuck Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Michigan town has lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. towns; within the state, Saugatuck Township has more expected damage per building than 72% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Saugatuck Township: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Saugatuck Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Saugatuck Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Saugatuck 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: Allegan County.The storms Saugatuck Township remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Allegan County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Saugatuck Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19782 flood claims paidThe year of Blizzards and Snowstorms, declared for Allegan County
- 19851 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19861 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Allegan County
Allegan County has had 14 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 Saugatuck Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Saugatuck Township archive →Saugatuck Township and its neighbors
Saugatuck Township is 5th of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manlius Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ganges Township | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Laketown Township | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Douglas | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Saugatuck Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Saugatuck | — | 766 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 Saugatuck 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 Saugatuck Township
Is Saugatuck Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Saugatuck Township has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #507 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and tornadoes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Saugatuck Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Saugatuck Township since 1978, $52K in all, or 2.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 61% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Saugatuck 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 Allegan County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Saugatuck Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Saugatuck Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Saugatuck Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Saugatuck Township’s rate for it is higher than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Saugatuck Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Saugatuck 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.