Natural hazards · Traverse

Traverse, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Traverse comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1981. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Traverse?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Traverse to be higher than in 1% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and inland flooding.

Cold waves47%Inland flooding36%Winter weather5%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Traverse 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

36% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 7% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Winter weather

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 60% of U.S. places

Recorded about 31 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsHeat 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 Traverse flood?

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

15paid claims since 1981

$60Kpaid to owners

2homes flooded more than once

19812026

Biggest named events

2026-04-Flooding: 2 claims, $10K

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. Traverse 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.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

1storm safe rooms built

Disasters that hit Traverse

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into TraverseDeclared for Grand Traverse County only

2026

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

74 households applied for aid $499K aid approved

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

Around Traverse

Traverse and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Elmwoodmostly cold wavesVery low

Peninsulamostly cold wavesVery low

East Baymostly cold wavesVery low

Traverse Citymostly cold wavesVery low

Garfieldmostly 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. Traverse covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Traverse’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Traverse. 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 Traverse total about $5.7M 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.