Natural hazards · Buel

Buel, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Buel comes from cold waves, 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 Buel?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Buel to be higher than in 41% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves48%Inland flooding36%Tornadoes7%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Buel faces

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

Cold waves

48% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Inland flooding

36% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 24 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Buel flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Sanilac County.

Disasters that hit Buel

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into BuelDeclared for Sanilac County only

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

Around Buel

Buel and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Buelmostly cold wavesModerate

Elkmostly cold wavesModerate

Fremontmostly cold wavesModerate

Lexingtonmostly cold wavesVery 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. Buel covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Buel’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Buel. 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 Buel total about $2.7M 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.