Natural hazards · Garfield

Garfield, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Garfield comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 32 claims here since 1986.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Garfield?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Garfield to be higher than in 15% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and strong winds.

Inland flooding44%Strong wind20%Cold waves14%Tornadoes11%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Garfield faces

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

Inland flooding

44% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 23% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Strong wind

20% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

14% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 45% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 78 years 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 Garfield flood?

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

32paid claims since 1986

$778Kpaid to owners

4homes flooded more than once

19862026

Biggest named events

2026-04-Flooding: 3 claims, $251K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Clare County.

Disasters that hit Garfield

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into GarfieldDeclared for Clare County only

Clare County has had 7 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and floods.

Around Garfield

Garfield and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Orientmostly inland floodingModerate

Freemanmostly inland floodingVery low

Garfieldmostly inland floodingVery low

Coldwatermostly inland floodingVery low

Surreymostly 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. Garfield covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Garfield’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Garfield. 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 Garfield total about $1.5M 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.