11 flood insurance claims·$86,664 paid
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 Benzie 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.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 21 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 2019, with 3 claims and $0 paid.
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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Benzie County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Michigan flood stories →
5 federal disaster declarations since 1977.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Blizzards & Snowstorms | Jan 27, 1978 |
| Drought | Mar 2, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
5 since 1996: 1 flash floods and 4 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Flood | Apr 13, 2020 | $8,000 |
| Lakeshore Flood | Jun 10, 2020 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Oct 22, 2019 | $129,000 |
| Lakeshore Flood | Oct 16, 2019 | $8,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 1, 2000 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Lakeshore Flood · Apr 13, 2020. Strong low pressure passed just north of eastern upper Michigan on the morning of the 13th. Gusty west to northwest winds developed during the day, in the wake of the low. Gusts of 40 to 50 mph were common across northern Michigan, especially during the afternoon. The highest measured wind gust was 58 mph at the airport in Gaylord. Some localized power outages resulted. Lakeshore flooding also occurred along porti…
Lakeshore Flood · Jun 10, 2020. The remnants of Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Cristobal lifted across Lake Superior and into northern Ontario. Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms developed on the 10th. A line of severe thunderstorms brought damaging winds to places near Saginaw Bay. Later in the day, training thunderstorms brought heavy rain to Traverse City. And some lakeshore flooding also occurred on the northwest lower Michigan coastlin…
Lakeshore Flood · Oct 22, 2019. Strong northerly to easterly winds resulted in another round of substantial coastal flooding and beach erosion, this time on both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, for the 21st into the 22nd.
Lakeshore Flood · Oct 16, 2019. Northwest to north winds produced high waves and elevated water levels along the northwest lower Michigan coastline. With Great Lakes water levels at near-record levels, significant coastal flooding and beach erosion resulted.
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 Benzie 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.