Sherman City Union Church · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Sherman Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sherman Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #614 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). 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 Sherman 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
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 Sherman Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sherman Township, and Sherman Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 5%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #614 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sherman 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, Sherman Township has more expected damage per building than 88% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Sherman Township: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sherman Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sherman Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Sherman 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: Isabella County.The storms Sherman Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Isabella County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sherman Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Isabella County has had 8 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.
Sherman Township and its neighbors
Sherman Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nottawa Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Broomfield Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Lake Isabella | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Sherman Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Sheridan Township | C−more damage than 77% | strong wind | — |
| Coldwater Township | — | 794 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Weidman | — | 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 Sherman 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.
- 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 Sherman Township
Is Sherman Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sherman Township has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #614 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and tornadoes (8%). 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.
Is Sherman 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 Isabella County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sherman Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sherman Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Sherman Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Sherman Township’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sherman Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sherman 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.