Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Sherwood Township faces less hazard damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sherwood Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then tornadoes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2018.
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 Sherwood 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
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 Sherwood Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sherwood Township, and Sherwood Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 16% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sherwood Township’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $503K a year in losses across Sherwood Township: $351K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sherwood Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2018
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sherwood Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Sherwood 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: Branch County.The storms Sherwood Township remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Branch County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sherwood Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20181 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Branch County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Sherwood Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sherwood Township archive →Sherwood Township and its neighbors
Sherwood Township is 4th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Athens Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Wakeshma Township | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sherwood Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Matteson Township | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Leonidas Township | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
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 Sherwood 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.
- 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 Sherwood Township
Is Sherwood Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sherwood Township has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and tornadoes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sherwood Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Sherwood Township since 2018, $78K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Sherwood 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 Branch County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sherwood Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sherwood Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Sherwood Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Sherwood Township’s rate for it is lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sherwood Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sherwood 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.