Photo: Gpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Suttons Bay Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Suttons Bay Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #46 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2019.
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 Suttons Bay 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
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 Suttons Bay Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Suttons Bay Township, and Suttons Bay Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #46 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Suttons Bay 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, Suttons Bay Township has less expected damage per building than 94% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Suttons Bay Township: $544K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Suttons Bay Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2019
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Suttons Bay 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.
Suttons Bay 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: Leelanau County.The storms Suttons Bay Township remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Leelanau County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Suttons Bay Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20191 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Leelanau County has had 2 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.
Old photos of Suttons Bay Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Suttons Bay Township archive →Suttons Bay Township and its neighbors
Suttons Bay Township is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leelanau Township | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Suttons Bay Township | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Bingham Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Leland Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lake Leelanau | — | 124 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 Suttons Bay 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.
- 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 Suttons Bay Township
Is Suttons Bay Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Suttons Bay Township has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #46 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Suttons Bay Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Suttons Bay Township since 2019, $41K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Suttons Bay 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 Leelanau County, 32% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Suttons Bay Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Suttons Bay Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Suttons Bay Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Suttons Bay Township’s rate for it is lower than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Suttons Bay Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Suttons Bay 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.