Whitefish Point Lighthouse · Photo: Browermd · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Whitefish Township
Whitefish Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Whitefish Township has 473 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2016.
What Whitefish 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.
Does Whitefish Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2016
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Whitefish Township, from FEMA’s records.
- The 2026-04-Flooding1 claim · $14K
Whitefish 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: Chippewa County.The storms Whitefish Township remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Chippewa County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Whitefish Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20161 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20261 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Chippewa County has had 4 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 Whitefish Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Whitefish Township archive →Whitefish Township and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| McMillan Township | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Bay Mills Township | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Chippewa Township | — | 320 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Hulbert Township | — | 219 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 Whitefish 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 Whitefish Township
Does Whitefish Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Whitefish Township since 2016, $137K in all. The most claims came from 2026-04-Flooding (1).
Is Whitefish 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 Chippewa County, 2% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Whitefish Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Whitefish Township’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 Whitefish Township?
By flood claims, 2026-04-Flooding: 1 paid, $14K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Whitefish Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Whitefish 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.