Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Dresden

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Saint Ann Catholic Church (Dresden, Ohio) - exteriorPhoto: Nheyob · CC BY-SA 4.0
BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Dresden · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Dresden as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dresden gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1997.

River and rain flooding 88%Tornadoes 5%Hail 4%

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

less than 60%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in Ohio · lower than 60% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
88% of expected building damage
Flood claims
3
paid since 1997 · $14K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 14 declared for Muskingum County
By hazard

What Dresden 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

88%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

5%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind Ice storms Earthquakes Winter storms Hurricanes Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Dresden’s grade

River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dresden, and Dresden’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 5% (higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Dresden sits
Dresden
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Dresden’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding88%Tornadoes5%Hail4%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $529K a year in losses across Dresden: $429K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Dresden’s 1,650 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Jefferson township (1,850 residents) and Trinway CDP (358 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Dresden flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1997

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dresden, from FEMA’s records: 4.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199720152021
19972026
3
paid claims since 1997
$14K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Muskingum County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dresden

Disasters that paid out in Dresden itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Dresden), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2004Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides19 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
  2. 2002Severe Storms and Tornadoes1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DresdenMuskingum County only

Muskingum County has had 14 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Dresden after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Dresden archive →
Next door

Dresden and its neighbors

Dresden is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Jefferson Township: hazard risk BCass Township: hazard risk BMadison Township: not gradedTrinway: not gradedJefferson TownshipCass TownshipMadison TownshipTrinwayDresden
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Jefferson TownshipBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding—
DresdenBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding3
Cass TownshipBless damage than 57%river and rain flooding9
Madison Township—591 residents; we grade 1,000+
Trinway—286 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Dresden 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 Dresden

Is Dresden at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dresden has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%) and tornadoes (5%). 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 Dresden flood?

Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Dresden since 1997, $14K in all, or 4.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Dresden 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 Muskingum County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Dresden?

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

By FEMA money that reached Dresden, Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides (2004): 19 households applied for aid, $23K approved.

Is Dresden at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Dresden’s rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dresden.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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