Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Sharon than in 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sharon gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2011.
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 Sharon 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
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 Sharon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sharon, and Sharon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sharon’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $501K a year in losses across Sharon: $410K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sharon flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sharon, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $1K
Sharon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Schoharie County.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sharon
Disasters that paid out in Sharon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Sharon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$7K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$124K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$37K to the Town of Sharon for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $1K
- 2008Severe Winter Storm$66K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$112K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding$29K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
Show all 10
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$16K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2003Snow$5K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2002Snowstorms$10K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms and Flooding$35K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
Schoharie County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Sharon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sharon archive →Sharon and its neighbors
Sharon is 3rd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seward | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Carlisle | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sharon | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Cherry Valley | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Root | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Canajoharie | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Roseboom | — | 630 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Sharon 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.
- 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 Sharon
Is Sharon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sharon has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Sharon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Sharon since 2011, $1K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
Is Sharon 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 Schoharie County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sharon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sharon’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 Sharon?
By FEMA money that reached Sharon, Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee (2011): $124K to the Town of Sharon for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $1K.
Is Sharon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Sharon’s rate for it is higher than 58% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sharon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sharon’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.