FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Wilkshire Hills than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wilkshire Hills gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #589 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Wilkshire Hills 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 Wilkshire Hills’ grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wilkshire Hills, and Wilkshire Hills’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #589 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Wilkshire Hills’ 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, Wilkshire Hills has more expected damage per building than 59% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $511K a year in losses across Wilkshire Hills: $439K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wilkshire Hills flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Wilkshire Hills. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Wilkshire Hills isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tuscarawas County.The storms Wilkshire Hills remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Tuscarawas County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Wilkshire Hills itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Tuscarawas County has had 10 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.
Wilkshire Hills and its neighbors
Wilkshire Hills is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Lawrence Township | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Wilkshire Hills | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Zoar | — | 220 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 Wilkshire Hills 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 Wilkshire Hills
Is Wilkshire Hills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wilkshire Hills has lower expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #589 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Wilkshire Hills 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 Tuscarawas County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wilkshire Hills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wilkshire Hills’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Wilkshire Hills at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Wilkshire Hills’ rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wilkshire Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wilkshire Hills’ 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.