Natural hazards · Cato

Cato, MI natural hazards

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

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Cato?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Cato to be higher than in 8% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding51%Tornadoes16%Strong wind16%Cold waves9%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Cato faces

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

Inland flooding

51% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 13% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Tornadoes

16% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 83 years in the area

Strong wind

16% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 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 Cato flood?

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

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Montcalm County.

Disasters that hit Cato

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into CatoDeclared for Montcalm County only

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

Around Cato

Cato and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Hintonmostly strong windsHigh

Belvideremostly inland floodingVery low

Winfieldmostly inland floodingVery low

Pinemostly inland floodingVery low

Catomostly 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. Cato covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Cato’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Cato. 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 Cato total about $928K 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.