Hazard Plain Automated baseline

St. Joseph County, MI

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
26149
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: No county-level plan row in FEMA data.

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($11,364,666 a year), Tornado ($1,879,378) and Cold Wave ($1,536,287).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

No county-level plan row in FEMA data

What changed since your last plan

Not available. No county-level plan row in FEMA data, so there is no approval date to count from.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryNotes
Athens Area SchoolsSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2029-12-10Calhoun County 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan (FEMA plan 110177)2024-12-112029-12-101,167this jurisdiction approved 2025-04-14

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countStorm Events coverage note
1Inland FloodingRelatively LowRelatively Low$11,359,389$2,125$3,152$11,364,6666
2TornadoRelatively LowRelatively Low$909,168$7,454$962,756$1,879,37812
3Cold WaveRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$538$103,230$1,432,520$1,536,2875
4Strong WindRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$236,056$59,127$1,059,133$1,354,315238Includes 12 High Wind and 2 Strong Wind records (NOAA non-thunderstorm wind types, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
5HailRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$1,069,710$51,090$6,152$1,126,95161
6LightningRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$14,758n/a$587,143$601,9016
7EarthquakeRelatively LowRelatively Low$343,816n/a$97,925$441,741Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
8DroughtRelatively LowRelatively Lown/a$296,424n/a$296,4240No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
9Heat WaveVery LowVery Low$4,013$3$151,504$155,5200No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
10Ice StormRelatively LowRelatively Low$46,648n/a$32,989$79,6377
11Winter WeatherRelatively LowRelatively Low$5,214$1,612$46,514$53,34092
12HurricaneVery LowVery Low$11,932$12,568$20$24,5200No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
13WildfireVery LowVery Low$5,147$6$437$5,5900No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
14LandslideVery LowVery Low$235n/a$1,942$2,1770No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local wildfire and landslide records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami and volcanic activity. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 406 (Relatively Low, 64.8); tract 414 (Relatively Low, 62.3); tract 407 (Relatively Low, 60.3)
Hurricanetract 410 (Very Low, 44.2); tract 409 (Very Low, 41.8); tract 413.01 (Very Low, 41.6)
Landslidetract 411.02 (Relatively Low, 90.7); tract 415 (Relatively Low, 88.8); tract 409 (Relatively Low, 86.3)
Tornadotract 414 (Relatively Moderate, 72.8); tract 410 (Relatively Moderate, 72.5); tract 409 (Relatively Moderate, 67.8)
Wildfiretract 414 (Very Low, 62.1); tract 409 (Very Low, 61.9); tract 415 (Very Low, 61.5)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 406 is Census Tract 406). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill5 records, 2014 to 2024 (5 zone-level)1 day to 2 days (median 2 days); 5 with a recorded value2 consecutive days, 2022-12-23 to 2022-12-24, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).Wind chill: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage0Temperature: in event narratives only (local data needed).
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)0Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)73 records, 1966 to 20260.75 in to 4 in (median 1 in); 73 with a recorded value4 in hail, 2024-05-07No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)0Heat index: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson0Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)7 records, 1997 to 2019 (7 zone-level)Ice Storm, 2007-02-24, $30,000 property; $0 crops (2007 dollars); NWS zone MIZ079Countywide (zone-level records).Ice thickness: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)6 records, 1996 to 2018 (2 zone-level)Flood, 2018-02-20, $680,000 property; $0 crops (2018 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan. Zone-level records (2) apply countywide.Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)0Physical measure: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)6 records, 1997 to 2014Lightning, 2006-06-02, damage not reported, 1 direct deathLightning, 2010-06-23, $20,000 property; $0 crops (2010 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties; physical measure in event narratives only (local data needed).
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)14 records, 1997 to 2026 (14 zone-level)40 kt (46 mph) to 56 kt (64 mph) (median 50 kt (58 mph)); 11 with a recorded value56 kt (64 mph) measured gust, High Wind, 2003-11-12; NWS zone MIZ079Strong Wind, 2026-04-27, $10,000 property; $0 crops, reported for the zone (2026 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)273 records, 1967 to 202648 kt (55 mph) to 85 kt (98 mph) (median 55 kt (63 mph)); 190 with a recorded value85 kt (98 mph) estimated gust, Thunderstorm Wind, 2011-05-29Thunderstorm Wind, 1998-11-10, $150,000 property; crops not reported (1998 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)18 records, 1953 to 2026F/EF0 to F/EF2 (median F/EF1); 18 with a recorded valueEF2 tornado, 2026-03-06, 10.75 mi within this county, 450 yd wide, $0 property; $0 crops (2026 dollars), 10 direct injuriesTornado, 2001-10-24, $322,200 property; crops not reported (2001 dollars)No event record names a jurisdiction in the plan.Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)0Acres burned: in event narratives only (local data needed).
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)92 records, 1996 to 2026 (92 zone-level)No damage reported in 92 records.Countywide (zone-level records).Snow depth: in event narratives only (local data needed).

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records whose zone no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 8 declarations covering 5 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

No county-level plan row in FEMA data, so there is no approval date to count from.

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsNotes
2020-03-272020-01-20DR-4494-MIMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$3,315.87
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3455-MIEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4494
2005-09-072005-08-29EM-3225-MIEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2004-06-302004-05-20DR-1527-MIMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; TornadoPA not declared for this county
2001-01-102000-12-11EM-3160-MIEmergencySnowWinter Weather$49,786.50
1999-01-271999-01-02EM-3137-MIEmergencyMi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99Winter Weather$58,301.47
1980-09-081980-09-08DR-631-MIMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1978-01-271978-01-27EM-3057-MIEmergencyBlizzards & SnowstormsWinter Weatherno Public Assistance recorded

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1956-04-051956-04-05DR-53-MIMajor disasterTornadoTornado
1953-06-091953-06-09DR-6-MIMajor disasterTornadoTornado
1953-06-021953-06-02DR-4-MIMajor disasterTornadoTornado

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Cold Wave5201996 to 2026-06-30
Drought0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Earthquake000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail731101955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Hurricane0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm7001996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding6021996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning6001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind2874301955 to 2026-06-30Includes 12 High Wind and 2 Strong Wind records.
Tornado18511950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Winter Weather921731996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2026-04-27Strong Wind43 kt (49 mph) measured gust$10,000 property; $0 crops, reported for the zone (2026 dollars)0, 0NWS zone MIZ079 (ST. JOSEPH), zone-levelwithin last 5 yearsB1-c most damaging: High Wind and Strong Wind
2026-03-06TornadoEF2, 10.75 mi within this county, 450 yd wide$0 property; $0 crops (2026 dollars)0, 10THREE RIVERS to WASEPIwithin last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Tornado
2024-05-07Hail4 in$40,000 property; $0 crops (2024 dollars)0, 0LEONIDASwithin last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Hail
2022-12-23Cold/Wind Chill$0 property; $0 crops, reported for the zone (2022 dollars)0, 0NWS zone MIZ079 (ST. JOSEPH), zone-levelwithin last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2018-02-20Flood$680,000 property; $0 crops (2018 dollars)0, 0FACTORYVILLE to CHAMBERLAINSB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2011-05-29Thunderstorm Wind85 kt (98 mph) estimated gust$0 property; $0 crops (2011 dollars)0, 0HOWARDSVILLE to PARKVILLEB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
2007-02-24Ice Storm$30,000 property; $0 crops, reported for the zone (2007 dollars)0, 0NWS zone MIZ079 (ST. JOSEPH), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Ice Storm
2006-06-02Lightningdamage not reported1, 0CONSTANTINEdeaths or injuries recorded
2004-05-21Thunderstorm Wind65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust$10,000 property; crops not reported (2004 dollars)1, 0COLONdeaths or injuries recorded
2004-05-21Thunderstorm Wind65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust$10,000 property; crops not reported (2004 dollars)1, 0STURGISdeaths or injuries recorded
2003-11-12High Wind56 kt (64 mph) measured gust$0 property; crops not reported, reported for the zone (2003 dollars)0, 0NWS zone MIZ079 (ST. JOSEPH), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
2001-10-24TornadoF1, 4 mi within this county, 400 yd wide$322,200 property; crops not reported (2001 dollars)0, 1WHITE PIGEONB1-c most damaging: Tornado

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (494 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

Tribal and special-area declarations in this state are listed on the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Cold Wave2.53event-days per yearabout 2.53 days per yearLikely (from Storm Events: 5 of 30 years)event-days in 5 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (16.7%)482005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought0.781event-days per yearabout 0.781 days per yearevent-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)282000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywideNo Storm Events drought record, 1996 to 2025
Earthquake0.00112annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.112%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail2.66events per yearabout 2.66 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)101.0 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave3.47event-days per yearabout 3.47 days per yearevent-days in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)552005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywideNo Storm Events heat wave record, 1996 to 2025
Hurricane0.0173events per yearabout 1 in 58 yearsPossibleFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)41851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNRI counts hurricane and tropical storm tracks passing within storm-force wind range; federal declarations are in B1-d.
Ice Storm1.23event-days per yearabout 1.23 days per yearLikely (from Storm Events: 6 of 30 years)event-days in 6 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (20%)831946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding0.143event-days per yearabout 0.143 days per yearLikely (from Storm Events: 5 of 30 years)event-days in 5 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (16.7%)41996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.115events per year (modeled)about 1 in 9 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning37.7days per year with a strikeabout 37.7 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind4.79events per yearabout 4.79 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)1821986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.243events per yearabout 1 in 4 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.0000124annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.00124%Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Winter Weather16.5event-days per yearabout 16.5 days per yearHighly likely (from Storm Events: 28 of 30 years)event-days in 28 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (93.3%)3132005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 202535301.17
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20254300.133
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 2025166305.53
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 20258300.267
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 202541301.37
TornadoEF0-11996 to 20258300.267
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20253300.1
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20250300

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Cold Wave18 of 1847.166.777.2Relatively Moderate 17, Relatively Low 1
Drought17 of 1872.582.194.1Relatively Moderate 7, Relatively Low 7, Very Low 3, No Rating 1
Earthquake18 of 1831.643.364.8Relatively Low 11, Very Low 7
Hail18 of 1874.187.192.8Relatively High 5, Relatively Moderate 13
Heat Wave18 of 185.912.722.1Relatively Low 2, Very Low 16
Hurricane18 of 1826.938.044.2Very Low 18
Ice Storm18 of 1828.350.264.0Relatively Low 16, Very Low 2
Inland Flooding18 of 1811.047.887.3Relatively High 3, Relatively Moderate 6, Relatively Low 8, Very Low 1
Landslide18 of 1826.181.290.7Relatively Low 9, Very Low 9
Lightning18 of 1866.085.694.5Relatively High 16, Relatively Moderate 2
Strong Wind18 of 1873.888.294.5Relatively High 16, Relatively Moderate 2
Tornado18 of 1845.861.572.8Relatively Moderate 16, Relatively Low 2
Wildfire18 of 1832.354.262.1Very Low 18
Winter Weather18 of 1840.056.267.6Relatively Moderate 15, Relatively Low 3

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its planNotes
No rows for this unit.

No city, town, township or county rows in FEMA plan data for this unit; same as county.

School districts and special districts get a plan clock row only.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

No county-level plan row in FEMA data, so there is no approval date to count from.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since plancounty-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Cold Wave$14,937,377,793$297,002,11860,908$538$103,230$1,432,520under 0.0001%
Droughtn/a$113,991,983n/an/a$296,424n/a0.26% (agriculture)NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$26,555,601,093n/a60,939$343,816n/a$97,9250.00129%
Hail$14,937,377,793$297,002,11860,908$1,069,710$51,090$6,1520.00716%
Heat Wave$14,937,377,793$297,002,11860,908$4,013$3$151,504under 0.0001%
Hurricane$14,934,681,348$296,089,85060,899$11,932$12,568$20under 0.0001%
Ice Storm$14,937,112,344n/a60,907$46,648n/a$32,9890.000312%
Inland Flooding$14,892,249,284$1,189,504874$11,359,389$2,125$3,152n/a (see note)NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$129,911,278n/a470$235n/a$1,9420.000181%
Lightning$14,937,377,793n/a60,908$14,758n/a$587,143under 0.0001%
Strong Wind$14,937,377,793$297,002,11860,908$236,056$59,127$1,059,1330.00158%
Tornado$14,937,377,793$297,002,11860,908$909,168$7,454$962,7560.00609%
Wildfire$4,776,576,147$68,280,32319,920$5,147$6$4370.000108%
Winter Weather$14,937,377,793$297,002,11860,908$5,214$1,612$46,514under 0.0001%

Totals since the plan: not available. No county-level plan row in FEMA data, so there is no approval date to count from.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population60,908
Building value (total, not at risk)$14,937,377,793
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$297,002,118
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Relatively Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$14,540,262
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$4,382,186
Social vulnerability ratingRelatively Moderate
Community resilience ratingRelatively High
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)1Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)4
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition12Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition3

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county and state-level rows

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total141231205
of which: Three Rivers city (community ID not in plan data)0382803
of which: Colon township (community ID not in plan data)0111101
of which: Colon village (community ID not in plan data)1020201
of which: Nottawa township (community ID not in plan data)0010100
Statewide, no county in FEMA's file0040400

The statewide row counts properties FEMA's file gives with no county in this state; they are listed for reference and are not in this county's counts.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group

Sources: 1, 4

Occupancy groupRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
single-family residential1141402
2 to 4 unit residential0121201
other residential0010101
non-residential0251501
not reported0000000

FEMA's occupancy groups have no institutional class; institutional properties are counted in non-residential or other residential in the table by occupancy group.

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 11 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment, organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B. Each section heading names the item its tables support; the plan and FEMA's review decide whether the item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). St. Joseph County, MI: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 26149). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/mi/26149/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: contact@hazardplain.org

Hazard Plain release 2026-10. As of 2026-09-30; Storm Events data through 2026-06-30. Automated baseline.