Natural hazards · Chocolay

Chocolay, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Chocolay comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1985.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Chocolay?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Chocolay to be higher than in 33% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding42%Cold waves40%Hail12%Everything else6%

By hazard

What Chocolay faces

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

Inland flooding

42% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 46% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

40% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hail

12% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

HurricanesDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Chocolay flood?

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

11paid claims since 1985

$184Kpaid to owners

2homes flooded more than once

19852026

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Marquette County.

Disasters that hit Chocolay

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ChocolayDeclared for Marquette County only

Marquette County has had 9 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Chocolay

Chocolay and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

West Branchmostly cold wavesLow

Skandiamostly cold wavesLow

Chocolaymostly inland floodingLow

Sandsmostly cold wavesLow

Onotamostly 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. Chocolay covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Chocolay’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Chocolay. 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 Chocolay total about $717K 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.