For strong wind, Williams Township’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Williams Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #571 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then tornadoes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2017.
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 Williams 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
Strong wind
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 Williams Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Williams Township, and Williams Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 8%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B #571 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Williams Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Michigan town has lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. towns; within the state, Williams Township has more expected damage per building than 81% of Michigan towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Williams Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Williams Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Williams Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Williams 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: Bay County.The storms Williams Township remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Bay County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Williams Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20173 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Bay County
- 20201 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Bay 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.
Old photos of Williams Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Williams Township archive →Williams Township and its neighbors
Williams Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Midland | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 409 |
| Monitor Township | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Beaver Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Tittabawassee Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Williams 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Williams Township
Is Williams Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Williams Township has lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #571 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (11%). 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.
Does Williams Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Williams Township since 2017, $114K in all, or 1.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Williams 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 Bay County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Williams Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Williams Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Williams Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Williams Township’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Williams Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Williams 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.