Natural hazards · Big Prairie

Big Prairie, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Big Prairie comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1986.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Big Prairie?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Big Prairie to be higher than in 58% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding71%Strong wind12%Tornadoes6%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Big Prairie faces

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

Inland flooding

71% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 79% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Strong wind

12% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 52% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 86 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat 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 Big Prairie flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Big Prairie, from FEMA’s records.

2paid claims since 1986

$48Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19862026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Newaygo County.

Disasters that hit Big Prairie

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into Big PrairieDeclared for Newaygo County only

Newaygo County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.

Around Big Prairie

Big Prairie and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Aetnamostly strong windsHigh

Big Prairiemostly inland floodingModerate

Crotonmostly inland floodingLow

Everettmostly inland floodingLow

Goodwellmostly 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. Big Prairie covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Big Prairie’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Big Prairie. 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 Big Prairie total about $1.4M 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.