Less hazard damage per building is expected in Shelby Township than in 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shelby Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #189 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then strong wind (19%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1984.
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 Shelby 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
Strong wind
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 Shelby Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shelby Township, and Shelby Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 19%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
A #189 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Shelby 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, Shelby Township has less expected damage per building than 73% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Shelby Township: $812K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shelby Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shelby Township, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Shelby 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: Oceana County.The storms Shelby Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Oceana County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Shelby Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19841 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Oceana County has had 10 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 Shelby Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shelby Township archive →Shelby Township and its neighbors
Shelby Township is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Grant Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Shelby Township | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Benona Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ferry Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Hart Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Shelby 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Shelby Township
Is Shelby Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shelby Township has lower expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #189 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and strong wind (19%). 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 Shelby Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Shelby Township since 1984, $447 in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Shelby 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 Oceana County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Shelby Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shelby Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Shelby Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Shelby Township’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shelby Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shelby 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.