Zoar is calmer than 71% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Zoar comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Zoar’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Zoar?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 29% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 1,349 of the 2,573 Ohio towns we cover.
Zoar is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
Does Zoar flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Zoar. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Zoar isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tuscarawas County.What Zoar faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Zoar
Disasters that paid out in Zoar itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Zoar) and its biggest flood years.
- 2004Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$3K to the Village of Zoar for repairs
Tuscarawas County has had 10 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.
Old photos of Zoar after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Zoar archive →Get ready for what Zoar 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
Zoar and its neighbors
Zoar ranks 2nd calmest of 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoar | Low | inland flooding | 0 |
| Wilkshire Hills | Low | inland flooding | 0 |
| Sandy | Low | inland flooding | 1 |
| Lawrence | Very low | inland flooding | 1 |
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.
Most disasters here begin in June–August
The month each of Tuscarawas County’s 10 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 Zoar’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Village of Zoar.
- 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.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Zoar.
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.