ECR Kooi Bridge · Photo: Clayton B. Fraser · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Ranchester faces more hazard damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ranchester gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%), then wildfire (16%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1978.
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 Ranchester 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
Wildfire
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 Ranchester’s grade
River and rain flooding is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ranchester, and Ranchester’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 16%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ranchester’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Ranchester: $902K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ranchester flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ranchester, from FEMA’s records: 12.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ranchester isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sheridan County.The storms Ranchester remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Sheridan County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ranchester itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19783 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding and Mudslides, declared for Sheridan County
- 20193 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Sheridan County has had 2 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Sheridan County, 2003–2024.
Old photos of Ranchester after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ranchester archive →Get ready for what Ranchester 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Ranchester
Is Ranchester at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ranchester has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (80%) and wildfire (16%). 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 Ranchester flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Ranchester since 1978, $69K in all, or 12.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ranchester 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 Sheridan County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ranchester?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ranchester’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ranchester at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Ranchester’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ranchester.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ranchester’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.