14 flood insurance claims·$112,828 paid·3 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 Sanilac 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 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 1987, with 6 claims and $16,026 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Sanilac County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Michigan flood stories →
12 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 20, 2004 |
| Snow | Dec 11, 2000 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 21, 1996 |
| Severe Storms & Flooding | Sep 10, 1986 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 5, 1985 |
| Blizzards & Snowstorms | Jan 27, 1978 |
| Snowstorms | Feb 5, 1977 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
11 since 1996: 5 flash floods, 3 river or area floods and 3 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Flood | Jul 19, 2020 | — |
| Lakeshore Flood | Jan 11, 2020 | $500,000 |
| Lakeshore Flood | Oct 16, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Nov 1, 2019 | $1.0M |
| Flood | Apr 28, 2011 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2006 | $1.2M |
| Flood | May 23, 2004 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2000 | $35,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Lakeshore Flood · Jul 19, 2020. Severe thunderstorms moving through the area caused extreme water level fluctuations on Lake St. Clair, St. Clair River, and southern Lake Huron, which lead to lakeshore flooding.
Lakeshore Flood · Jan 11, 2020. A winter storm tracking through southeast Michigan brought heavy rain and freezing rain, with about a quarter of an inch ice from US-10 south to about M-57. Many accidents and spin outs occurred across the Tri-Cities region and Flint vicinity due to the icy roads. In addition, strong northeast winds lead to high water levels and large waves causing significant lakeshore flooding and erosion along Bay, Tuscola, and…
Lakeshore Flood · Oct 16, 2019. Strong and prolonged northwest winds around 35 mph generated large waves over Saginaw Bay and southern Lake Huron. These higher waves and elevated water levels caused significant lakeshore flooding. Flooding to homes and roads were reported in Harbor Beach, Caseville, and Sebewaing. Erosion of the shoreline occurred at Port Crescent State Park. Finally, significant erosion and damage to seawalls reported in Lakep…
Flood · Nov 1, 2019. Widespread lakeshore flooding from record high water levels of the Great Lakes and periodic strong onshore flow occurred from late April 2019 to November 2019. Extensive erosion and property damage occurred, with monetary values in the millions. The widespread flooding ended at the end of November when the Great Lakes reached winter seasonal minimum water levels.
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 Sanilac 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.