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St. Joseph River in Bridgewater TownshipPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bridgewater Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Bridgewater Township faces less hazard damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bridgewater Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then tornadoes (18%). 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

less than 66%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
By hazard

What Bridgewater 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

67%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Tornadoes

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Hurricanes Winter storms Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Bridgewater Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bridgewater Township, and Bridgewater Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 18%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bridgewater Township sits
Bridgewater Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Bridgewater Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding67%Tornadoes18%Hail5%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $510K a year in losses across Bridgewater Township: $392K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Bridgewater Township covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bridgewater Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Bridgewater 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: Williams County.
Disasters

The storms Bridgewater Township remembers

None of the 5 disasters declared for Williams County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bridgewater Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Bridgewater TownshipWilliams County only

Williams County has had 5 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.

Next door

Bridgewater Township and its neighbors

Bridgewater Township is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Madison Township: not gradedSuperior Township: hazard risk BNorthwest Township: hazard risk C+Amboy Township: hazard risk B+Madison TownshipSuperior TownshipNorthwest TownshipAmboy TownshipBridgewater Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Amboy TownshipB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding—
Bridgewater TownshipB+less damage than 66%river and rain flooding0
Superior TownshipBless damage than 57%river and rain flooding—
Northwest TownshipC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding—
Madison Township—917 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Bridgewater 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.

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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Bridgewater Township

Is Bridgewater Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bridgewater Township has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and tornadoes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Bridgewater 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 Williams County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Bridgewater Township?

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

Is Bridgewater Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Bridgewater Township’s rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bridgewater Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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