Lee and Gottliebe Fritz House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Gordon’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gordon gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (44%), then river and rain flooding (40%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Gordon faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
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 Gordon’s grade
Wildfire is 44% of the building damage FEMA expects in Gordon, and Gordon’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Gordon’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Gordon: $592K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Gordon flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Gordon. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Gordon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sheridan County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Gordon
Disasters that paid out in Gordon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Gordon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Storms, Winter Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$16K to the City of Gordon for repairs
Sheridan County has had 5 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 Sheridan County, 2012–2012.
Old photos of Gordon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Gordon archive →Get ready for what Gordon faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Gordon
Is Gordon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Gordon has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (44%) and river and rain flooding (40%). 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 Gordon 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 Sheridan County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Gordon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Gordon’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 Gordon?
By FEMA money that reached Gordon, Severe Storms, Winter Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding (2013): $16K to the City of Gordon for repairs.
Is Gordon at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (44%), and Gordon’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Gordon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Gordon’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.