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Sterling Free Public Carnegie LibrarySterling Free Public Carnegie Library · Photo: Catboy69 · CC0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Sterling · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Sterling than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sterling gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then wildfire (13%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2010.

River and rain flooding 58%Wildfire 13%Tornadoes 11%

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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Kansas · higher than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
58% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2010 · $24K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
8
of 21 declared for Rice County
By hazard

What Sterling 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

58%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Wildfire

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 11 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind top 5% Heat waves top 0% Winter storms top 2% Earthquakes Lightning top 2% Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 13% of Sterling’s expected losses. Cold waves do 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 Sterling’s grade

River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sterling, and Sterling’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 13%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Sterling sits
Sterling
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding58%Wildfire13%Tornadoes11%Everything else18%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Sterling: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Sterling’s 2,248 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Valley township (208 residents) and Sterling township (201 residents) and Raymond township (169 residents) and East Washington township (138 residents) and Alden city (122 residents) and West Washington township (118 residents) and Rockville township (112 residents) and Wilson township (109 residents) and Center township (107 residents) and Raymond city (85 residents) and Bell township (10 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 Sterling flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2010

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sterling, from FEMA’s records: 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 3 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20102019
20102026
4
paid claims since 2010
$24K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$6K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Rice County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1storm safe room built
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sterling

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

  1. 2021Severe Storms and Straight Line Winds$5K to the City of Sterling for repairs
  2. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding,landslides,and Mudslides$47K to the City of Sterling for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2017Severe Winter Storm$21K to the City of Sterling for repairs
  4. 2013Snowstorm$4K to the City of Sterling for repairs
  5. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes$18K to the City of Sterling for repairs
  6. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$8K to the City of Sterling for repairs
Show all 8
  1. 2007Severe Winter Storms$55K to the City of Sterling for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding14 households applied for aid$85K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SterlingRice County only

Rice County has had 21 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.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Rice County, 2017–2017.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Sterling archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Sterling 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 ↗
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 Sterling

Is Sterling at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sterling has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and wildfire (13%). 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 Sterling flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Sterling since 2010, $24K in all, or 4.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Sterling 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 Rice County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Sterling?

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

By FEMA money that reached Sterling, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2007): 14 households applied for aid, $85K approved.

Is Sterling at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Sterling’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sterling.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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