Less hazard damage per building is expected in Sanborn than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sanborn gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Sanborn 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 Sanborn’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sanborn, and Sanborn’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Sanborn’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $669K a year in losses across Sanborn: $186K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sanborn flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sanborn. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Sanborn isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ashland County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sanborn
Disasters that paid out in Sanborn itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Sanborn), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$38K to the Town of Sanborn for repairs
- 1999Wi-flood-07/20/99$5K to the Town of Sanborn for repairs
Ashland County has had 11 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.
Old photos of Sanborn after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sanborn archive →Sanborn and its neighbors
Sanborn 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | — |
| White River | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sanborn | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Bayfront | — | 135 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Gingles | — | 594 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Jolmaville | — | 104 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Ashland | — | 654 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Morse | — | 608 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Gurney | — | 186 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 Sanborn 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 Sanborn
Is Sanborn at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sanborn has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Sanborn 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 Ashland County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Sanborn?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sanborn’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 Sanborn?
By FEMA money that reached Sanborn, Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes (2001): $38K to the Town of Sanborn for repairs.
Is Sanborn at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Sanborn’s rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sanborn.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sanborn’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.