Natural hazards · Odessa

Odessa, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Odessa comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1986.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Odessa?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Odessa to be higher than in 25% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding49%Tornadoes24%Strong wind13%Cold waves7%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Odessa faces

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

Inland flooding

49% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 26% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Tornadoes

24% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 30 years in the area

Strong wind

13% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 47% 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 Odessa flood?

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

2paid claims since 1986

$32Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19862026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Ionia County.

Disasters that hit Odessa

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into OdessaDeclared for Ionia County only

Ionia County has had 14 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and floods.

Around Odessa

Odessa and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Woodlandmostly inland floodingModerate

Berlinmostly inland floodingLow

Campbellmostly inland floodingLow

Odessamostly inland floodingLow

Sebewamostly 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. Odessa covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Odessa’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Odessa. 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 Odessa total about $1.7M 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.