MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Flooding is a natural disaster that can happen almost anywhere, and in many cases it can cause the most damage. In Meridian Township, flooding can happen rather quickly.

"We get some, you know minor flooding, when we have flash floods, you know heavy rain comes in real quick, you get like two inches of rain in a couple hours or so, you get some flooding," said Meridian Township's Chief Engineer Younes Ishraidi.

While Meridian Township hasn’t seen a major flood in recent years, the Township has many areas considered to be flood zones.

“The flood zones in Meridian Township pretty much follow the route of the Red Cedar and the tributaries to the Red Cedar,” said Ishraidi.

One of the biggest ways to be prepared for the damages is to have flood insurance, which is required for many residents.

“Typically, if you have a mortgaged home, your bank or your mortgage company will require you to have flood insurance if you are within a mapped flood zone as specified by FEMA,” said Ishraidi.

For those who live in the flood zone but have their houses paid off, there's no requirement to have insurance, however it is always advisable to be insured.

“Also, same goes for those folks that are just outside the flood zone but they’re near the flood zone," said Ishraidi. "So just because you're outside the flood zone doesn’t mean you're not going to get flooded.”

According to the NFIP, 20% of insurance claims come from moderate to low risk areas, giving everyone reason to stay safe.