Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Oakwood than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oakwood gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #10 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 14 claims here since 1981.
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 Oakwood 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 Oakwood’s grade
River and rain flooding is 81% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oakwood, and Oakwood’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 61% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #10 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Oakwood’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Oakwood has less expected damage per building than 99% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Oakwood: $871K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oakwood flood? Sometimes: 14 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oakwood, from FEMA’s records: 10.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Late winter storms1 claim · $13K
Oakwood isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cuyahoga County.The storms Oakwood remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Cuyahoga County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Oakwood itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19823 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19812 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20052 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Cuyahoga County has had 15 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 Oakwood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oakwood archive →Oakwood and its neighbors
Oakwood is 2nd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walton Hills | A+among the lowest damage | river and rain flooding | 8 |
| Oakwood | A+less damage than 98% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
| Bedford Heights | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 34 |
| Macedonia | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Bedford | A+less damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 14 |
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 Oakwood 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 Oakwood
Is Oakwood at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oakwood has lower expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #10 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (81%) and tornadoes (13%). 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 Oakwood flood?
Flood insurance has paid 14 claims in Oakwood since 1981, $57K in all, or 10.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Late winter storms (1).
Is Oakwood 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 Cuyahoga County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oakwood?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oakwood’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 Oakwood?
By flood claims, Late winter storms: 1 paid, $13K.
Is Oakwood at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (81%), and Oakwood’s rate for it is lower than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oakwood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oakwood’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.