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The local water tower in New Sharon, IAPhoto: Nicole Haas, Chicago Legend · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in New Sharon · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, New Sharon faces less hazard damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Sharon gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then tornadoes (17%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 67%Tornadoes 17%Strong wind 7%

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

less than 68%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B+
in Iowa · lower than 68% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
67% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 17 declared for Mahaska County
By hazard

What New 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

67%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

17%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Strong wind

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Earthquakes Winter storms Wildfire Lightning Heat waves top 1% Hurricanes Cold 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 drought at 16% of New Sharon’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 New Sharon’s grade

River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in New Sharon, and New Sharon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 17%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where New Sharon sits
New Sharon
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of New Sharon’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding67%Tornadoes17%Strong wind7%Everything else9%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $802K a year in losses across New Sharon: $426K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of New Sharon’s 1,262 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Leighton city (158 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does New Sharon flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in New Sharon. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

New 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: Mahaska County.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to New Sharon

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

  1. 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$45K to the City of New Sharon for repairs
  2. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes21 households applied for aid$40K aid approved
  3. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
  4. 2007Severe Winter Storms$49K to the City of New Sharon for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in New SharonMahaska County only

Mahaska County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the New Sharon archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what New 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.

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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 New Sharon

Is New Sharon at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Sharon has lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and tornadoes (17%). 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.

Is New 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 Mahaska County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in New Sharon?

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

By FEMA money that reached New Sharon, Severe Winter Storms (2007): $49K to the City of New Sharon for repairs.

Is New Sharon at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and New Sharon’s rate for it is lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Sharon.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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