Fallasburg Covered Bridge · Photo: User:Lar (w:en:user:Lar) · CC BY 2.5Less hazard damage per building is expected in Vergennes Township than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vergennes Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #219 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 31 claims here since 1986.
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 stands out about Vergennes Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Vergennes 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 Vergennes Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Vergennes Township, and Vergennes Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts).
A #219 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Vergennes 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, Vergennes Township has less expected damage per building than 69% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Vergennes Township: $837K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Vergennes Township flood? Sometimes: 31 flood claims since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Vergennes Township, from FEMA’s records: 17.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Vergennes 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: Kent County.The storms Vergennes Township remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Kent County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Vergennes Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201320 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for Kent County
- 20187 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19862 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Kent County
Kent County has had 10 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 Vergennes Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Vergennes Township archive →Vergennes Township and its neighbors
Vergennes Township is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grattan Township | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Keene Township | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Vergennes Township | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Lowell Township | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ada Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 31 |
| Lowell | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 32 |
| Forest Hills | — | 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 Vergennes 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 Vergennes Township
Is Vergennes Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vergennes Township has lower expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #219 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Vergennes Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 31 claims in Vergennes Township since 1986, $279K in all, or 17.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Vergennes 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 Kent County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Vergennes Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Vergennes Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Vergennes Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Vergennes Township’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Vergennes Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Vergennes 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.