For tornadoes, Oakbrook’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oakbrook gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #62 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2009.
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 Oakbrook 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 Oakbrook’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oakbrook, and Oakbrook’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #62 of 142 in Kentucky; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Oakbrook’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Kentucky town has higher expected damage than 52% of U.S. towns; within the state, Oakbrook has less expected damage per building than 57% of Kentucky towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Oakbrook: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oakbrook flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oakbrook, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Oakbrook isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Boone County.The storms Oakbrook remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Boone County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Oakbrook itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20091 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm and Flooding, declared for Boone County
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Boone County
Boone County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Oakbrook after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oakbrook archive →Oakbrook and its neighbors
Oakbrook is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Burlington | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Oakbrook | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Oakbrook 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 Oakbrook
Is Oakbrook at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oakbrook has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #62 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Oakbrook flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Oakbrook since 2009, $4K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Oakbrook 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 Boone County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oakbrook?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oakbrook’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Oakbrook at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Oakbrook’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oakbrook.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oakbrook’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.