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High below Republic, GlousterPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Glouster · FEMA

FEMA puts Glouster’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Glouster gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). Flood insurance has paid 29 claims here since 1990.

River and rain flooding 96%Tornadoes 2%

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

more than 92%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Ohio · higher than 92% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
96% of expected building damage
Flood claims
29
paid since 1990 · $272K
Flooded more than once
7
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
6
of 15 declared for Athens County

What stands out about Glouster’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Moved out of harm’s way13 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 200415 flood claims were paid for 2004 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Glouster 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

96%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Ice storms Strong wind Earthquakes Hurricanes Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Glouster’s grade

River and rain flooding is 96% of the building damage FEMA expects in Glouster, and Glouster’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Glouster sits
Glouster
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding96%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $967K a year in losses across Glouster: $896K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Glouster’s 1,659 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Jacksonville village (400 residents) and Trimble village (329 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 Glouster flood? Sometimes: 29 flood claims since 1990

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Glouster, from FEMA’s records: 39.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1990: 1 claim1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 10 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 15 claims2005: 2 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199820042005
19902026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Ivan6 claims · $69K
29
paid claims since 1990
$272K
paid to owners
7
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Athens County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
13flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Glouster

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

  1. 2018Severe Storms, Landslides, and Mudslides$26K to the Village of Glouster for repairs
  2. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$19K to the Village of Glouster for repairs
  3. 2004Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides28 households applied for aid$33K aid approved$4K to the Village of Glouster for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding78 households applied for aid$182K aid approved$10K to the Village of Glouster for repairs
  5. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding103 households applied for aid$395K aid approved$18K to the Village of Glouster for repairs
  6. 2003Severe Winter Storm and Record/near Record Snow$34K to the Village of Glouster for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in GlousterAthens County only

Athens County has had 15 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 Glouster after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Glouster archive →
Next door

Glouster and its neighbors

Glouster has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Trimble: not gradedTrimbleGlouster
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
GlousterDmore damage than 92%river and rain flooding29
Trimble—466 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 Glouster 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 ↗
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 Glouster

Is Glouster at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Glouster has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (96%). 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 Glouster flood?

Flood insurance has paid 29 claims in Glouster since 1990, $272K in all, or 39.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 7 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (6).

Is Glouster 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 Athens County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Glouster?

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

By FEMA money that reached Glouster, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): 103 households applied for aid, $395K approved, and $18K to the Village of Glouster for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 6 paid, $69K.

Is Glouster at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (96%), and Glouster’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Glouster.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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