Natural hazards · Lansing

Lansing, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lansing comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 103 claims here since 1979. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Lansing?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Inland flooding52%Tornadoes22%Cold waves10%Strong wind8%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Lansing faces

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

Inland flooding

52% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Tornadoes

22% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. places

Cold waves

10% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Strong wind

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 95% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 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 Lansing flood?

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

103paid claims since 1979

$511Kpaid to owners

4homes flooded more than once

19792026

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Ingham County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

75flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

1buildings floodproofed

Disasters that hit Lansing

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into LansingDeclared for Ingham County only

2023

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

896 households applied for aid $970K aid approved

2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

$745K to the City of Lansing for repairs

2005

Hurricane Katrina Evacuation

$388K to the City of Lansing for repairs

2004

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

448 households applied for aid $281K aid approved

2000

Snow

$77K to the City of Lansing for repairs

Ingham County has had 8 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and floods.

Around Lansing

Lansing and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Windsormostly inland floodingModerate

Lansingmostly inland floodingLow

East Lansingmostly inland floodingLow

Delhimostly inland floodingLow

Lansingmostly inland floodingLow

DeWittmostly inland floodingLow

Deltamostly 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. Lansing covers 37 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lansing’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Lansing. 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 Lansing total about $28.1M 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.