James Pardee House · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Sharon’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 63% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sharon gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns, #84 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%), then hurricanes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1982.
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 Sharon 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
Hurricanes
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 Sharon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 85% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sharon, and Sharon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
C+ #84 of 155 in Connecticut; higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sharon’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Connecticut town has higher expected damage than 62% of U.S. towns; within the state, Sharon has more expected damage per building than 54% of Connecticut towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Sharon: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sharon flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sharon, from FEMA’s records: 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Sharon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: the county.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sharon
Disasters that paid out in Sharon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Sharon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2011Severe Storm$20K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2011Tropical Storm Irene$25K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2011Snowstorm$23K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding$22K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$22K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2005Record Snow$24K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
Show all 8
- 2003Snow$16K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2003Snow$17K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
Old photos of Sharon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sharon archive →Sharon and its neighbors
Sharon is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Salisbury | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Sharon | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Amenia | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Cornwall | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Kent | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| West Cornwall | — | 70 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Cornwall Bridge | — | 248 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Sharon 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 Sharon
Is Sharon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sharon has higher expected damage per building than 63% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #84 of 155 in Connecticut. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (85%) and hurricanes (10%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sharon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Sharon since 1982, $35K in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Sharon 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 the county, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Sharon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sharon’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 Sharon?
By FEMA money that reached Sharon, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): $25K to the Town of Sharon for repairs.
Is Sharon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (85%), and Sharon’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sharon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sharon’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.