281 flood insurance claims·$3.0M paid·2 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Barry County, Michigan. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding and river flooding from heavy summer thunderstorms dominate the flood risk in Barry County, driven by 11 recorded flash flood events and 4 general flood events over the last 30 years. Notable historical events include severe thunderstorms and significant flooding in June 2008 that resulted in a presidential disaster declaration for Barry County, as well as record-setting river flooding in April 2013 that led to a state of disaster declared by the governor.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that property owners in Zone A have filed the highest volume of claims at 185, with an average payout of $14,277 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Meanwhile, properties designated as Zone X recorded higher average water depths of 10 inches and average payouts of $18,902 across 27 claims. Homeowners in mapped high-risk zones, such as Zone A, and properties located near rivers or subject to intense local stormwater accumulation should pay the closest attention to their flood risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2% of Barry County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
189 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 3 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2004, with 49 claims and $844,098 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
10 NOAA storm reports from Barry County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Michigan flood stories →
13 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Flooding | Apr 16, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 6, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 20, 2004 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Mi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99 | Jan 2, 1999 |
| Blizzards & Snowstorms | Jan 27, 1978 |
| Snowstorms | Feb 5, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
15 since 1996: 11 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 17, 2013 | $5.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2011 | $250,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2009 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2008 | $500,000 |
| Flood | May 21, 2004 | $1.0M |
| Flood | Feb 24, 2001 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2001 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2001 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 17, 2013. Record flooding occurred during the month of April and record crests occurred on the lower portions of the Grand River at Ionia, Lowell, Ada, Comstock Park, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Due to the severity of the flooding, Michigan���s Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of disaster for 19 counties and two cities. ||The two cities declared in the disaster were Grand Rapids and Ionia. The counties included…
Flash Flood · Jul 28, 2011. Several rounds of heavy rain and thunderstorms moved across southwest lower Michigan from July 27 to July 29, flooding roadways and intersections across areas near to mainly south of Interstate 96. The most significant impacts from flash flooding occurred in and near the Lansing area. Radar estimated that 6 to 10 inches of rain fell from July 27 to 29 near and southwest of Lansing.
Flash Flood · Jun 19, 2009. Thunderstorms developed and moved across Lake Michigan during the evening hours on June 19th. Several hours of intense rainfall occurred starting around 7:00 PM EST. The ground was already saturated from early morning thunderstorms that produced very heavy rainfall. In addition to the heavy rain, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes accompanied the thunderstorms.
Flash Flood · Jun 7, 2008. Severe thunderstorms produced several reports of damaging wind gusts and also caused significant flooding. In fact a presidential disaster declaration was issued for Allegan, Barry, Eaton and Ottawa counties.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Barry County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.