Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0On FEMA’s figures, North Oaks faces less hazard damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, North Oaks gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, #101 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%), then tornadoes (11%). 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 North Oaks 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
Hail
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 North Oaks’ grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in North Oaks, and North Oaks’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 11% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #101 of 274 in Minnesota; lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of North Oaks’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Minnesota town has lower expected damage than 57% of U.S. towns; within the state, North Oaks has less expected damage per building than 63% of Minnesota towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.9M a year in losses across North Oaks: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does North Oaks flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in North Oaks. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
North Oaks isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ramsey County.The storms North Oaks remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Ramsey County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching North Oaks itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Ramsey County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
North Oaks and its neighbors
North Oaks is 2nd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vadnais Heights | A−less damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| North Oaks | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| White Bear Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Shoreview | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Lino Lakes | Cmore damage than 75% | 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 North Oaks 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 North Oaks
Is North Oaks at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, North Oaks has lower expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #101 of 274 in Minnesota. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (11%). 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 North Oaks 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 Ramsey County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in North Oaks?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for North Oaks’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is North Oaks at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and North Oaks’ rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in North Oaks.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where North Oaks’ 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.