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A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Sharon · FEMA

FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Sharon than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sharon 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 (75%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2026.

River and rain flooding 75%Tornadoes 14%Hail 8%

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

less than 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
A−
in Wisconsin · lower than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
75% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2026 · $14K
Flood claims per home
1 per 1,000
fewer than 75% of U.S. towns
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

75%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Lightning Wildfire Earthquakes Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 27% of Sharon’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 75% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sharon, and Sharon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 14% (higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Sharon sits
Sharon
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Sharon’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding75%Tornadoes14%Hail8%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Sharon: $601K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Sharon covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Sharon flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2026

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sharon, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2026: 1 claim2026
20262026
Biggest named events
  • The 2026-04-Flooding1 claim · $14K
1
paid claims since 2026
$14K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$14K
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: Portage County.
Disasters

The storms Sharon remembers

None of the 9 disasters declared for Portage County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sharon itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20261 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SharonPortage County only

Portage County has had 9 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 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 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Dewey: not gradedBevent: hazard risk B+Stockton: hazard risk AAlban: not gradedPolonia: not gradedDeweyBeventStocktonAlbanPoloniaSharon
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
StocktonAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding—
SharonA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding1
BeventB+less damage than 68%river and rain flooding—
Dewey—not graded yet
Alban—876 residents; we grade 1,000+
Polonia—776 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 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 (75%) and tornadoes (14%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Sharon flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Sharon since 2026, $14K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from 2026-04-Flooding (1).

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 Portage County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% 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 flood claims, 2026-04-Flooding: 1 paid, $14K.

Is Sharon at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (75%), and Sharon’s rate for it is lower than 66% 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.