Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Spring Lake Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spring Lake Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #500 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 18 claims here since 1985.
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 Spring Lake 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 Spring Lake Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Spring Lake Township, and Spring Lake Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 6% (higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #500 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Spring Lake Township’s residents live in 5 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, Spring Lake Township has more expected damage per building than 71% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.3M a year in losses across Spring Lake Township: $3.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Spring Lake Township flood? Sometimes: 18 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Spring Lake Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Spring Lake 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: Ottawa County.The storms Spring Lake Township remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Ottawa County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Spring Lake Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20207 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19863 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Ottawa County
- 20193 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Ottawa County has had 13 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.
Old photos of Spring Lake Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Spring Lake Township archive →Spring Lake Township and its neighbors
Spring Lake Township is 5th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norton Shores | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Fruitport Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Grand Haven | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Crockery Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Spring Lake Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Grand Haven Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Spring Lake | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Ferrysburg | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
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 Spring Lake 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 Spring Lake Township
Is Spring Lake Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Spring Lake Township has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #500 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and tornadoes (6%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Spring Lake Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 18 claims in Spring Lake Township since 1985, $154K in all, or 2.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Spring Lake 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 Ottawa County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Spring Lake Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Spring Lake Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Spring Lake Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Spring Lake Township’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Spring Lake Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Spring Lake 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.