FEMA puts West Traverse Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Traverse Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 West Traverse 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 West Traverse Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in West Traverse Township, and West Traverse Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
West Traverse Township’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $744K a year in losses across West Traverse Township: $511K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does West Traverse Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in West Traverse Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
West Traverse 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: Emmet County.The storms West Traverse Township remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Emmet County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching West Traverse Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Emmet County has had 4 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
West Traverse Township and its neighbors
West Traverse Township is 2nd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor Springs | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| West Traverse Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Little Traverse Township | B+less damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Pleasantview Township | — | 862 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Friendship Township | — | 848 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 West Traverse 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 West Traverse Township
Is West Traverse Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, West Traverse Township has lower expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is West Traverse 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 Emmet County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in West Traverse Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for West Traverse Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is West Traverse Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and West Traverse Township’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in West Traverse Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where West Traverse 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.