Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Oak City

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Oak City · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Oak City

Oak City isn’t graded for hazard risk: Oak City has 353 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 18 declared for Martin County
By hazard

What Oak City faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

52%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

42%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Hail Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Lightning Coastal flooding Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 11% of Oak City’s expected losses. Drought does 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Oak City flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Oak City. 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

Oak City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Martin County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oak City

Disasters that paid out in Oak City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Oak City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2016Hurricane Matthew22 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene57 households applied for aid$25K aid approved$923 to the Town of Oak City for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, and Straight-line Winds7 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
  4. 2003Hurricane Isabel60 households applied for aid$39K aid approved$6K to the Town of Oak City for repairs
  5. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$9K to the Town of Oak City for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Oak CityMartin County only

Martin County has had 18 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Oak City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Oak City archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Oak City faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 Oak City

Is Oak City 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 Martin County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Oak City?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oak City’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 Oak City?

By FEMA money that reached Oak City, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 60 households applied for aid, $39K approved, and $6K to the Town of Oak City for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oak City.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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