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A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Oxford Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Oxford Township faces less hazard damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oxford Township gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #50 of 701 in Michigan. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then tornadoes (20%). 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

less than 95%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#50 of 701 in Michigan
By hazard

What Oxford 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

72%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Hail Earthquakes Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Heat waves Wildfire Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 19% of Oxford Township’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 Oxford Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oxford Township, and Oxford Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 20% (higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Oxford Township sits
Oxford Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #50 of 701 in Michigan; lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Oxford Township’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Tornadoes20%Strong wind3%Everything else5%

The typical Michigan town has lower expected damage than 77% of U.S. towns; within the state, Oxford Township has less expected damage per building than 93% of Michigan towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.2M a year in losses across Oxford Township: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Oxford Township covers 5 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Oxford Township flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Oxford Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Oxford 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: Oakland County.
Disasters

The storms Oxford Township remembers

None of the 11 disasters declared for Oakland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Oxford Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Oxford TownshipOakland County only

Oakland County has had 11 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.

Next door

Oxford Township and its neighbors

Oxford Township has the lowest expected damage per building of the 6 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Oxford TownshipA+less damage than 95%river and rain flooding0
Orion TownshipAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding—
Addison TownshipAless damage than 91%river and rain flooding—
Metamora TownshipAless damage than 86%river and rain flooding—
Brandon TownshipA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding—
Dryden TownshipA−less damage than 78%river and rain flooding—

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 Oxford 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.

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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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 Oxford Township

Is Oxford Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oxford Township has lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #50 of 701 in Michigan. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Oxford 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 Oakland County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Oxford Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oxford Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Is Oxford Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Oxford Township’s rate for it is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oxford Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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