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B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Sylvan Lake · FEMA

FEMA puts Sylvan Lake’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sylvan Lake gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then tornadoes (15%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 78%Tornadoes 15%Strong wind 2%

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

less than 71%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Michigan · lower than 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
78% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 11 declared for Oakland County
By hazard

What Sylvan Lake 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

78%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes Hail Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 13% of Sylvan Lake’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Sylvan Lake’s grade

River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sylvan Lake, and Sylvan Lake’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 15% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Sylvan Lake sits
Sylvan Lake
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Sylvan Lake’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding78%Tornadoes15%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $592K a year in losses across Sylvan Lake: $419K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Sylvan Lake’s 1,723 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Sylvan Lake flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sylvan Lake. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Sylvan Lake isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Oakland County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sylvan Lake

Disasters that paid out in Sylvan Lake itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Sylvan Lake), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  2. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$901 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Sylvan LakeOakland County only

Oakland County has had 11 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Sylvan Lake after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Sylvan Lake archive →
Next door

Sylvan Lake and its neighbors

Sylvan Lake is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

West Bloomfield Township: hazard risk APontiac: hazard risk AWaterford Township: hazard risk AWest Bloomfield TownshipPontiacWaterford TownshipSylvan Lake
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
PontiacAless damage than 88%river and rain flooding3
West Bloomfield TownshipAless damage than 87%river and rain flooding26
Waterford TownshipAless damage than 85%river and rain flooding21
Sylvan LakeB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding0

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Sylvan Lake faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Sylvan Lake

Is Sylvan Lake at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sylvan Lake has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and tornadoes (15%). 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 Sylvan Lake 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 Oakland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Sylvan Lake?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sylvan Lake’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Sylvan Lake?

By FEMA money that reached Sylvan Lake, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2023): 5 households applied for aid, $7K approved.

Is Sylvan Lake at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Sylvan Lake’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sylvan Lake.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sylvan Lake’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.