Natural hazards · Golden

Golden, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Golden comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1979.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Golden?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Golden to be higher than in 12% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and strong winds.

Inland flooding59%Strong wind28%Tornadoes5%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Golden faces

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

Inland flooding

59% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 20% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Strong wind

28% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

5% of expected damage

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

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat 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 Golden flood?

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

4paid claims since 1979

$47Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Oceana County.

Disasters that hit Golden

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into GoldenDeclared for Oceana County only

Oceana County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Golden

Golden and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Benonamostly inland floodingLow

Pentwatermostly inland floodingVery low

Shelbymostly inland floodingVery low

Goldenmostly inland floodingVery low

Hartmostly 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. Golden covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Golden’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Golden. 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 Golden total about $1.0M 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.