Natural hazards · Lake

Lake, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lake comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1985.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lake?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lake to be higher than in 31% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding69%Cold waves22%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Lake 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 62% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Cold waves

22% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 18% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Lake flood?

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

6paid claims since 1985

$119Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19852026

Biggest named events

2026-04-Flooding: 2 claims, $91K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Benzie County.

Disasters that hit Lake

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into LakeDeclared for Benzie County only

Benzie County has had 4 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and hurricanes.

Around Lake

Lake and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lakemostly inland floodingLow

Benzoniamostly inland floodingLow

Plattemostly inland floodingLow

Crystal Lakemostly 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. Lake covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lake’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Lake. 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 Lake 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.