On FEMA’s figures, Forest Oaks 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, Forest Oaks gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #181 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Forest 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
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 Forest Oaks’ grade
River and rain flooding is 88% of the building damage FEMA expects in Forest Oaks, and Forest Oaks’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #181 of 290 in North Carolina; higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Forest Oaks’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical North Carolina town has lower expected damage than 51% of U.S. towns; within the state, Forest Oaks has more expected damage per building than 62% of North Carolina towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Forest Oaks: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Forest Oaks flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Forest Oaks. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Forest 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: Guilford County.The storms Forest Oaks remembers
None of the 24 disasters declared for Guilford County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Forest Oaks itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Guilford County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Forest Oaks and its neighbors
Forest Oaks is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greensboro | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 363 |
| Forest Oaks | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Forest 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.
- 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 Forest Oaks
Is Forest Oaks at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Forest Oaks has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #181 of 290 in North Carolina. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (88%). 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 Forest 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 Guilford County, 40% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Forest Oaks?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Forest Oaks’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Forest Oaks at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (88%), and Forest Oaks’ rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Forest Oaks.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Forest 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.