Natural hazards · Paradise

Paradise, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Paradise comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2012.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Paradise?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Paradise to be higher than in 21% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves47%Inland flooding38%Everything else16%

By hazard

What Paradise faces

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

Cold waves

47% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 21% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Inland flooding

38% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Paradise flood?

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

1paid claims since 2012

$18Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20122026

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Grand Traverse County.

Disasters that hit Paradise

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into ParadiseDeclared for Grand Traverse County only

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

Around Paradise

Paradise and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Paradisemostly cold wavesLow

Greenwoodmostly inland floodingVery low

Blairmostly cold wavesVery low

East Baymostly cold wavesVery low

Fife Lakemostly cold wavesVery low

Mayfieldmostly cold wavesVery 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. Paradise covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Paradise’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Paradise. 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 Paradise total about $800K 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.