Natural hazards · Chikaming

Chikaming, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Chikaming comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1981.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Chikaming?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Chikaming to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding66%Tornadoes11%Cold waves8%Hail5%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Chikaming faces

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

Inland flooding

66% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. places

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hail

5% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Chikaming flood?

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

3paid claims since 1981

$353Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19812026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Chikaming 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 Chikaming

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ChikamingDeclared for Berrien County only

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

Around Chikaming

Chikaming and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Weesawmostly inland floodingModerate

New Buffalomostly inland floodingLow

Three Oaksmostly inland floodingLow

Chikamingmostly inland floodingVery low

Lakemostly 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. Chikaming covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Chikaming’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Chikaming. 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 Chikaming 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.