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ChrisLitherlandSheridanPhoto: Chris Litherland · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Sheridan · FEMA

Sheridan’s building-damage rate from ice storms is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sheridan gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #33 of 123 in Arkansas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 2009.

River and rain flooding 48%Tornadoes 14%Earthquakes 12%

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

more than 61%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#33 of 123 in Arkansas
Hazard risk
C+#33 of 123
in Arkansas · higher than 61% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
48% of expected building damage
Flood claims
8
paid since 2009 · $93K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
4
of 15 declared for Grant County
By hazard

What Sheridan 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

48%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

12%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Winter storms Lightning top 5% Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 22% of Sheridan’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (13.7%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Sheridan’s grade

River and rain flooding is 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sheridan, and Sheridan’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 14%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Sheridan sits
Sheridan
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #33 of 123 in Arkansas; higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Sheridan’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding48%Tornadoes14%Earthquakes12%Everything else26%

The typical Arkansas town has higher expected damage than 73% of U.S. towns; within the state, Sheridan has less expected damage per building than 74% of Arkansas towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Sheridan: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Sheridan covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Sheridan flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 2009

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sheridan, from FEMA’s records: 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2009: 5 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 2 claims2026: 0 claims200920172025
20092026
Biggest named events
  • The Central U.S. April Flooding2 claims · $9K
8
paid claims since 2009
$93K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$12K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Sheridan isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Grant County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
35storm safe rooms built
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sheridan

Disasters that paid out in Sheridan itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Sheridan), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$52K to the City of Sheridan for repairs
  2. 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$7K to the City of Sheridan for repairs
  3. 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes41 households applied for aid$143K aid approved
  4. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$57K to the City of Sheridan for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SheridanGrant County only

Grant County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Sheridan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Sheridan archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Sheridan faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Ice storms
  • Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
  • Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
  • Keep sand or salt by the door.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Sheridan

Is Sheridan at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sheridan has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #33 of 123 in Arkansas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%) and tornadoes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Sheridan flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Sheridan since 2009, $93K in all, or 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Central U.S. April Flooding (2).

Is Sheridan 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 Grant County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Sheridan?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sheridan’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 Sheridan?

By FEMA money that reached Sheridan, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2008): 41 households applied for aid, $143K approved. By flood claims, Central U.S. April Flooding: 2 paid, $9K.

Is Sheridan at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Sheridan’s rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sheridan.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sheridan’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.