Oronoco School · Photo: Jonathunder · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Oronoco 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, Oronoco gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2004.
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 Oronoco 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 Oronoco’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oronoco, and Oronoco’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 15%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Oronoco’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Oronoco: $838K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oronoco flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oronoco, from FEMA’s records: 5.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Oronoco isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Olmsted County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oronoco
Disasters that paid out in Oronoco itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Oronoco), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2019Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$561K to the City of Oronoco for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$63K to the City of Oronoco for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$16K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Olmsted County has had 12 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 Oronoco after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oronoco archive →Oronoco and its neighbors
Oronoco 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Haven Township | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oronoco Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Oronoco | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Oronoco 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 Oronoco
Is Oronoco at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oronoco has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (15%). 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 Oronoco flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Oronoco since 2004, $93K in all, or 5.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Oronoco 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 Olmsted County, 16% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oronoco?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oronoco’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 Oronoco?
By FEMA money that reached Oronoco, Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2019): $561K to the City of Oronoco for repairs.
Is Oronoco at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Oronoco’s rate for it is higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oronoco.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oronoco’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.