Natural hazards · Arbela

Arbela, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Arbela comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Arbela?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Arbela to be higher than in 53% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding50%Cold waves23%Tornadoes12%Strong wind8%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Arbela faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

50% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

23% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 58% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 77% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 52 years in the area

Strong wind

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Arbela flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Arbela.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Arbela isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Tuscola County.

Disasters that hit Arbela

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Tuscola County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Arbela itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into ArbelaDeclared for Tuscola County only

Tuscola County has had 10 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Arbela

Arbela and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Tuscolamostly inland floodingHigh

Arbelamostly inland floodingModerate

Millingtonmostly inland floodingLow

Birch Runmostly inland floodingLow

Thetfordmostly inland floodingLow

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Arbela covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Arbela’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Arbela. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Arbela total about $2.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.