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Bridge 15Bridge 15 · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Sharon · FEMA

FEMA puts Sharon’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 64% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sharon gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2011.

River and rain flooding 91%Hurricanes 3%Earthquakes 1%

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 64%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C+
in Vermont · higher than 64% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
91% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2011 · $130K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 24 declared for Windsor County

What stands out about Sharon’s natural hazards

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

Landslides: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for landslides here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 1.1% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way2 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

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

91%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Strong wind Landslides top 1% Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Wildfire Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 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 80% of U.S. census tracts. Landslides add 1%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Sharon sits
Sharon
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding91%Hurricanes3%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $745K a year in losses across Sharon: $631K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Sharon’s 1,560 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Barnard town (992 residents) and Pomfret town (916 residents) and Stockbridge town (718 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 Sharon flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2011

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sharon, from FEMA’s records: 5.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2011: 4 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 claims2011
20112026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene4 claims · $130K
4
paid claims since 2011
$130K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$33K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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: Windsor County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

5 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.

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides11 households applied for aid$24K aid approved$135K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
  2. 2017Severe Storms and Flooding$33K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
  3. 2014Severe Winter Storm$6K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
  4. 2011Tropical Storm Irene72 households applied for aid$530K aid approved$1.3M to the Town of Sharon for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $130K
  5. 2001Snow$3K to the Town of Sharon for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SharonWindsor County only

Windsor County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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 →
Next door

Sharon and its neighbors

Sharon is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Pomfret: not gradedStrafford: hazard risk CRoyalton: hazard risk B−Norwich: hazard risk CPomfretStraffordRoyaltonNorwichSharon
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RoyaltonB−more damage than 54%river and rain flooding14
SharonC+more damage than 64%river and rain flooding4
NorwichCmore damage than 67%river and rain flooding3
StraffordCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding6
Pomfret—908 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 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.

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 Sharon

Is Sharon at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sharon has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ 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 4 claims in Sharon since 2011, $130K in all, or 5.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (4).

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 Windsor County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% 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, Tropical Storm Irene (2011): 72 households applied for aid, $530K approved, and $1.3M to the Town of Sharon for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 4 paid, $130K.

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 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sharon.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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.