Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Oskaloosa Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oskaloosa Township gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1993.
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 Oskaloosa Township 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
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 Oskaloosa Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oskaloosa Township, and Oskaloosa Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 18%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Oskaloosa Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Oskaloosa Township: $616K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oskaloosa Township flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1993
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oskaloosa Township, from FEMA’s records: 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 50% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Midwest Flooding1 claim · $500
Oskaloosa Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.The storms Oskaloosa Township remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Oskaloosa Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20052 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Jefferson County
- 19931 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Jefferson County
Jefferson County has had 15 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 Oskaloosa Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oskaloosa Township archive →Oskaloosa Township and its neighbors
Oskaloosa Township is 2nd of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oskaloosa Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Jefferson Township | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ozawkie Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Fairview Township | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Kentucky Township | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Rural Township | — | 486 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 Oskaloosa Township 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.
- 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 Oskaloosa Township
Is Oskaloosa Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oskaloosa Township has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (18%). 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 Oskaloosa Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Oskaloosa Township since 1993, $139K in all, or 3.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 50% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Midwest Flooding (1).
Is Oskaloosa Township 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 Jefferson County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oskaloosa Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oskaloosa Township’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 Oskaloosa Township?
By flood claims, Midwest Flooding: 1 paid, $500.
Is Oskaloosa Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Oskaloosa Township’s rate for it is higher than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oskaloosa Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oskaloosa Township’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.