For strong wind, Sparta Township’s building-damage rate is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sparta Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then tornadoes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1993.
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 Sparta Township 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
Tornadoes
Strong wind
Hail
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 Sparta Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sparta Township, and Sparta Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 10%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sparta Township’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $435K a year in losses across Sparta Township: $212K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sparta Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sparta Township, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $24K
Sparta Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Knox County.The storms Sparta Township remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Knox County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sparta Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19931 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Knox County
Knox County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Sparta Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sparta Township archive →Sparta Township and its neighbors
Sparta Township is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox Township | Bless damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Henderson Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Sparta Township | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Copley Township | — | 441 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Ontario Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Sparta Township 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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 Sparta Township
Is Sparta Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sparta Township has higher expected damage per building than 65% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and tornadoes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sparta Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Sparta Township since 1993, $24K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (1).
Is Sparta Township 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 Knox County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sparta Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sparta Township’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 Sparta Township?
By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 1 paid, $24K.
Is Sparta Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Sparta Township’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sparta Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sparta Township’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.