Fort Plain Historic District (Boundary Increase) · Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Oppenheim’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oppenheim gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Oppenheim 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 Oppenheim’s grade
River and rain flooding is 94% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oppenheim, and Oppenheim’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Oppenheim’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $679K a year in losses across Oppenheim: $580K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oppenheim flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Oppenheim. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Oppenheim isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Fulton County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oppenheim
Disasters that paid out in Oppenheim itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Oppenheim), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$15K to the Town of Oppenheim for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$175K to the Town of Oppenheim for repairs
Fulton County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Oppenheim after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oppenheim archive →Oppenheim and its neighbors
Oppenheim is 5th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manheim | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Salisbury | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Dolgeville | Bless damage than 58% | river and rain flooding | 51 |
| Ephratah | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Oppenheim | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| St. Johnsville | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Stratford | — | 769 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Oppenheim 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 Oppenheim
Is Oppenheim at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oppenheim has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (94%). 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 Oppenheim 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 Fulton County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Oppenheim?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oppenheim’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 Oppenheim?
By FEMA money that reached Oppenheim, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $175K to the Town of Oppenheim for repairs.
Is Oppenheim at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (94%), and Oppenheim’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oppenheim.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oppenheim’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.