Natural hazards · Waterloo

Waterloo, MI natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Waterloo comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Waterloo?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Waterloo to be higher than in 38% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding57%Tornadoes22%Cold waves8%Everything else13%

By hazard

What Waterloo faces

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

Inland flooding

57% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 49% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Tornadoes

22% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 34 years in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 51% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce 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 Waterloo flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Waterloo.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Jackson County.

Disasters that hit Waterloo

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into WaterlooDeclared for Jackson County only

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

Around Waterloo

Waterloo and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Henriettamostly inland floodingModerate

Waterloomostly inland floodingLow

Grass Lakemostly inland floodingLow

Lyndonmostly inland floodingLow

Leonimostly inland floodingLow

Stockbridgemostly inland floodingLow

Sylvanmostly inland floodingVery 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. Waterloo covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Waterloo’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Waterloo. 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 Waterloo total about $868K 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.