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Oak Hill FL city hall01Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Oak Hill · FEMA

FEMA puts Oak Hill’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oak Hill gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (55%), then river and rain flooding (27%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 2004.

Hurricanes 55%River and rain flooding 27%Wildfire 7%

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

more than 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Florida · higher than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
14
paid since 2004 · $627K
Disasters paid out here
11
of 30 declared for Volusia County

What stands out about Oak Hill’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Coastal flooding: the top 3% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts; it is 5.8% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants2 buildings retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Oak Hill faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

55%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

27%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Wildfire

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts

Coastal flooding

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 10% of Oak Hill’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 Oak Hill’s grade

Hurricanes are 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oak Hill, and Oak Hill’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 7%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Oak Hill sits
Oak Hill
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Oak Hill’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes55%River and rain flooding27%Wildfire7%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $984K a year in losses across Oak Hill: $509K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, FEMA took 413 aid registrations from Oak Hill addresses (the town has 1,019 homes) and flood insurance paid 6 claims for $306K.
Shared tract.All of Oak Hill’s 1,986 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Oak Hill flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 2004

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oak Hill, from FEMA’s records: 13.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 2 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 6 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 2 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 3 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420172022
20042026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irma6 claims · $306K
  • Hurricane Ian3 claims · $180K
  • Hurricane Frances2 claims · $36K
14
paid claims since 2004
$627K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$45K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Oak Hill isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Volusia County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oak Hill

Disasters that paid out in Oak Hill itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Oak Hill), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton209 households applied for aid$417K aid approved$307K to the City of Oak Hill for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $73K
  2. 2022Hurricane Nicole27 households applied for aid$49K aid approved
  3. 2022Hurricane Ian332 households applied for aid$662K aid approved$112K to the City of Oak Hill for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $180K
  4. 2017Hurricane Irma413 households applied for aid$380K aid approved$296K to the City of Oak Hill for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $306K
  5. 2016Hurricane Matthew223 households applied for aid$196K aid approved$267K to the City of Oak Hill for repairs
  6. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds16 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
Show all 11
  1. 2008Tropical Storm Fay14 households applied for aid$17K aid approved$18K to the City of Oak Hill for repairs
  2. 2004Hurricane Jeanne127 households applied for aid$234K aid approved$149K to the City of Oak Hill for repairs
  3. 2004Hurricane Frances463 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved$259K to the City of Oak Hill for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $36K
  4. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley231 households applied for aid$286K aid approved$27K to the City of Oak Hill for repairs
  5. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$4K to the City of Oak Hill for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Oak HillVolusia County only

Volusia County has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Volusia County, 2006–2007.

Were you here?

Old photos of Oak Hill after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Oak Hill archive →
Next door

Oak Hill and its neighbors

Oak Hill is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Edgewater: hazard risk CEdgewaterOak Hill
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
EdgewaterCmore damage than 68%hurricanes238
Oak HillCmore damage than 70%hurricanes14

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 Oak Hill faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the tide surges
  • Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
  • Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
  • Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
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 Oak Hill

Is Oak Hill at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oak Hill has higher expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (55%) and river and rain flooding (27%). 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 Oak Hill flood?

Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Oak Hill since 2004, $627K in all, or 13.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (6).

Is Oak Hill 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 Volusia County, 57% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 11.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Oak Hill?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oak Hill’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 Oak Hill?

By FEMA money that reached Oak Hill, Hurricane Frances (2004): 463 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved, and $259K to the City of Oak Hill for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 6 paid, $306K.

Is Oak Hill at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Oak Hill’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oak Hill.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oak Hill’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.