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 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?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Garfield to be higher than in 39% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding50%Cold waves24%Tornadoes11%Strong wind7%Everything else8%

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

50% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

24% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 43 years in the area

Strong wind

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

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 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: Bay County.

Disasters that hit Garfield

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into GarfieldDeclared for Bay County only

Bay County has had 12 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Garfield

Garfield and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Beavermostly inland floodingModerate

Mount Forestmostly inland floodingModerate

Garfieldmostly inland floodingLow

Frasermostly inland floodingLow

Millsmostly 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. Garfield is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

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.

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.