Natural hazards · Laird

Laird, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Laird comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2014.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Laird?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Laird to be higher than in 46% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding69%Cold waves20%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Laird faces

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

Inland flooding

69% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

20% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

HurricanesEarthquakesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Laird flood?

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

5paid claims since 2014

$117Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20142026

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Houghton County.

Disasters that hit Laird

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into LairdDeclared for Houghton County only

Houghton County has had 7 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.

Around Laird

Laird and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lairdmostly inland floodingModerate

Duncanmostly inland floodingModerate

Baragamostly cold wavesLow

Bohemiamostly inland floodingLow

Elm Rivermostly inland floodingLow

Stannardmostly inland floodingLow

Portagemostly 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. Laird covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Laird’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Laird. 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 Laird 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.