Photo: Davidhc9 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Ohkay Owingeh’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ohkay Owingeh gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%), then wildfire (11%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1997.
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 Ohkay Owingeh 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
Wildfire
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 Ohkay Owingeh’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ohkay Owingeh, and Ohkay Owingeh’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 11%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Ohkay Owingeh’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $662K a year in losses across Ohkay Owingeh: $550K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ohkay Owingeh flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ohkay Owingeh, from FEMA’s records: 8.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ohkay Owingeh isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rio Arriba County.The storms Ohkay Owingeh remembers
None of the 11 disasters declared for Rio Arriba County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ohkay Owingeh itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19971 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20041 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20141 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Rio Arriba County
Rio Arriba 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.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Rio Arriba County, 2002–2011.
Old photos of Ohkay Owingeh after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ohkay Owingeh archive →Ohkay Owingeh and its neighbors
Ohkay Owingeh 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Española | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Ohkay Owingeh | Dmore damage than 93% | 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 Ohkay Owingeh 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Ohkay Owingeh
Is Ohkay Owingeh at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ohkay Owingeh has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and wildfire (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.
Does Ohkay Owingeh flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Ohkay Owingeh since 1997, $43K in all, or 8.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ohkay Owingeh 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 Rio Arriba County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Ohkay Owingeh?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ohkay Owingeh’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ohkay Owingeh at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Ohkay Owingeh’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ohkay Owingeh.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ohkay Owingeh’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.