Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Sylvania as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sylvania gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%), then earthquakes (13%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Sylvania faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Sylvania’s grade
River and rain flooding is 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sylvania, and Sylvania’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 13% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
B− higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sylvania’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $794K a year in losses across Sylvania: $429K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sylvania flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sylvania. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Sylvania isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: DeKalb County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sylvania
Disasters that paid out in Sylvania itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Sylvania), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$7K to the Town of Sylvania for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding56 households applied for aid$34K aid approved$59K to the Town of Sylvania for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds$37K to the Town of Sylvania for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Ivan$1K to the Town of Sylvania for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$12K to the Town of Sylvania for repairs
DeKalb County has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in DeKalb County, 1999–1999.
Old photos of Sylvania after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sylvania archive →Sylvania and its neighbors
Sylvania is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainsville | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Sylvania | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Sylvania faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Sylvania
Is Sylvania at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sylvania has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (75%) and earthquakes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Sylvania in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In DeKalb County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sylvania?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sylvania’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Sylvania?
By FEMA money that reached Sylvania, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2011): 56 households applied for aid, $34K approved, and $59K to the Town of Sylvania for repairs.
Is Sylvania at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Sylvania’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sylvania.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sylvania’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.