Jackson is calmer than 90% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Jackson comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 74 claims here since 1979.
What stands out about Jackson’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Jackson?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 10% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 2,237 of the 2,573 Ohio towns we cover.
Jackson covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
The storms Jackson remembers
None of the disasters declared for Guernsey County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Jackson itself in FEMA’s records.
- 200448 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 199821 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Guernsey County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.
Old photos of Jackson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Jackson archive →Jackson and its neighbors
Jackson has the lowest rating of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
What Jackson faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Does Jackson flood? Sometimes: 74 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jackson, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Ivan6 claims · $26K
- The Not a named storm1 claim · $48K
Jackson isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Guernsey County.Get ready for what Jackson actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- 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.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in June–August
The month each of Guernsey County’s 13 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Jackson’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Jackson.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Jackson, expected losses total about $929K a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jackson.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.