Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Chardon faces less hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chardon gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #15 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%). 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 Chardon 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
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 Chardon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chardon, and Chardon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
A+ #15 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Chardon’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Chardon has less expected damage per building than 99% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $947K a year in losses across Chardon: $812K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chardon flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Chardon. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Chardon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Geauga County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chardon
Disasters that paid out in Chardon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Chardon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Record Snow and Near Record Snow$27K to the City of Chardon for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms, Straight Line Winds, and Flooding34 households applied for aid$72K aid approved
Geauga County has had 9 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.
Old photos of Chardon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chardon archive →Chardon and its neighbors
Chardon has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chardon | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Claridon Township | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Munson Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Hambden Township | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Chardon Township | — | not graded yet | |
| Bass Lake | — | 475 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 Chardon 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.
- 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 Chardon
Is Chardon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chardon has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #15 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and tornadoes (6%). 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 Chardon 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 Geauga County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Chardon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chardon’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 Chardon?
By FEMA money that reached Chardon, Severe Storms, Straight Line Winds, and Flooding (2006): 34 households applied for aid, $72K approved.
Is Chardon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Chardon’s rate for it is lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chardon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chardon’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.