Natural hazards · Bethel

Bethel, MI natural hazards

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

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Bethel?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Bethel to be higher than in 33% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding54%Tornadoes16%Cold waves8%Strong wind6%Hail6%Drought5%Everything else5%

By hazard

What Bethel faces

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

Inland flooding

54% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 100 years in the area

Tornadoes

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 26 years in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hail

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Drought

5% of expected damage

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Bethel flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Branch County.

Disasters that hit Bethel

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BethelDeclared for Branch County only

Branch County has had 4 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and hurricanes.

Around Bethel

Bethel and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Ovidmostly inland floodingHigh

Bethelmostly inland floodingLow

Bataviamostly inland floodingLow

Gileadmostly inland floodingLow

Bronsonmostly 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. Bethel covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Bethel’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Bethel. 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 Bethel total about $1.0M 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.