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Sparta, Kentucky - October 2023 - Sarah StierchPhoto: Missvain · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Sparta · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Sparta

Sparta isn’t graded for hazard risk: Sparta has 272 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1979.

Flood claims
6
paid since 1979 · $69K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
0
of 12 declared for Gallatin County
By hazard

What Sparta 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

86%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Ice storms Hail Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes 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 strong wind at 13% of Sparta’s expected losses. Strong wind does little damage to buildings (3.2%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Sparta flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sparta, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 1 claim1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 3 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197919921997
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Heavy rains1 claim · $23K
6
paid claims since 1979
$69K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$11K
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

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

Insurance rates: Gallatin County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

The storms Sparta remembers

None of the 12 disasters declared for Gallatin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sparta itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 19973 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Gallatin County
  2. 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  3. 19921 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SpartaGallatin County only

Gallatin County has had 12 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 Sparta after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Sparta archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Sparta 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 ↗
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 Sparta

Does Sparta flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Sparta since 1979, $69K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Heavy rains (1).

Is Sparta 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 Gallatin County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Sparta?

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

By flood claims, Heavy rains: 1 paid, $23K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sparta.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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