Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect less hazard damage per building than Sault Ste. Marie, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sault Ste. Marie gets an A+ for hazard risk: among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns, #7 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Sault Ste. Marie 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
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 Sault Ste. Marie’s grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sault Ste. Marie, and Sault Ste. Marie’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #7 of 701 in Michigan; among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sault Ste. Marie’s residents live in 4 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, Sault Ste. Marie has less expected damage per building than 99% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Sault Ste. Marie: $986K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sault Ste. Marie flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sault Ste. Marie. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Sault Ste. Marie isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Chippewa County.The storms Sault Ste. Marie remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Chippewa County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sault Ste. Marie itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Chippewa County has had 4 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.
Sault Ste. Marie and its neighbors
Sault Ste. Marie has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sault Ste. Marie | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Soo Township | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sugar Island Township | — | 577 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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.
- 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 Sault Ste. Marie
Is Sault Ste. Marie at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sault Ste. Marie has among the lowest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #7 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Sault Ste. Marie 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 Chippewa County, 2% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sault Ste. Marie?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sault Ste. Marie’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Sault Ste. Marie at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Sault Ste. Marie’s rate for it is lower than 84% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sault Ste. Marie.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sault Ste. Marie’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.