Natural hazards · Gladwin

Gladwin, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Gladwin comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2020. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Gladwin?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Gladwin to be higher than in 9% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding46%Cold waves20%Tornadoes13%Strong wind10%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Gladwin faces

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

Inland flooding

46% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 16% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Cold waves

20% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

13% of expected damage

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

Strong wind

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% 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 Gladwin flood?

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

1paid claims since 2020

$434Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20202026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Gladwin County.

Disasters that hit Gladwin

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Gladwin itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Gladwin.

Brought FEMA money into GladwinDeclared for Gladwin County only

2020

Severe Storms and Flooding

270 households applied for aid $550K aid approved $320K to the City of Gladwin for repairs

2017

Severe Storms and Flooding

15 households applied for aid $8K aid approved

2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

2 households applied for aid $6K aid approved

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

Around Gladwin

Gladwin and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Gladwinmostly inland floodingLow

Groutmostly inland floodingLow

Sagemostly inland floodingLow

Buckeyemostly inland floodingLow

Gladwinmostly 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. Gladwin 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 Gladwin’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Gladwin. 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.