Natural hazards · Buchanan

Buchanan, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Buchanan comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 2018.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Buchanan?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Buchanan to be higher than in 45% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding70%Cold waves11%Tornadoes8%Strong wind5%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Buchanan faces

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

Inland flooding

70% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

11% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 76 years in the area

Strong wind

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 55% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 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 Buchanan flood?

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

6paid claims since 2018

$117Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20182026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Berrien County.

Disasters that hit Buchanan

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BuchananDeclared for Berrien County only

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

Around Buchanan

Buchanan and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Buchananmostly inland floodingModerate

Weesawmostly inland floodingModerate

Oronokomostly inland floodingLow

Nilesmostly inland floodingLow

Bertrandmostly inland floodingVery low

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. Buchanan covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Buchanan’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Buchanan. 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 Buchanan total about $1.1M 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.