Photo: Quentin Melson · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Oolitic as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oolitic gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then tornadoes (13%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Oolitic 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
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 Oolitic’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oolitic, and Oolitic’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 13%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Oolitic’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $423K a year in losses across Oolitic: $307K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oolitic flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Oolitic. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Oolitic isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lawrence County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Oolitic
Disasters that paid out in Oolitic itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Oolitic), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes1 households applied for aid$827 aid approved
Lawrence County has had 18 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.
Old photos of Oolitic after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oolitic archive →Oolitic and its neighbors
Oolitic has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oolitic | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| East Oolitic | — | 22 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.
Get ready for what Oolitic 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Oolitic
Is Oolitic at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oolitic has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (13%). 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.
Is Oolitic 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 Lawrence County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oolitic?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oolitic’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 Oolitic?
By FEMA money that reached Oolitic, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2008): 1 households applied for aid, $827 approved.
Is Oolitic at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Oolitic’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oolitic.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oolitic’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.