Rothbury is calmer than 83% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Rothbury comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Rothbury’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Rothbury?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 17% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and strong winds.
Calmer than 1,251 of the 1,771 Michigan towns we cover.
Rothbury is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
Does Rothbury flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rothbury. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Rothbury isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Oceana County.What Rothbury faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Strong wind
Tornadoes
Winter weather
1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Rothbury
Disasters that paid out in Rothbury itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Rothbury) and its biggest flood years.
- 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$32K aid approved
Oceana County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.
Old photos of Rothbury after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rothbury archive →Get ready for what Rothbury actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Most disasters here begin in January–March
The month each of Oceana County’s 11 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Rothbury’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Rothbury.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rothbury.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.