Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Sheldon’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sheldon gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). 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 Sheldon 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 Sheldon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sheldon, and Sheldon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sheldon’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $639K a year in losses across Sheldon: $535K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sheldon flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sheldon. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Sheldon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Franklin County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sheldon
Disasters that paid out in Sheldon itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Sheldon), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Winter Storms$9K to the Town of Sheldon for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$14K to the Town of Sheldon for repairs
- 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Town of Sheldon for repairs
Franklin County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Old photos of Sheldon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sheldon archive →Sheldon and its neighbors
Sheldon has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheldon | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Highgate | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Fairfield | B+less damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Swanton | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Enosburgh | C+more damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
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 Sheldon 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 Sheldon
Is Sheldon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sheldon has lower expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). 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 Sheldon 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 Franklin County, 0.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Sheldon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sheldon’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 Sheldon?
By FEMA money that reached Sheldon, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): $14K to the Town of Sheldon for repairs.
Is Sheldon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Sheldon’s rate for it is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sheldon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sheldon’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.