Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Barnsdall

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
Woolaroc Ranch Historic DistrictWoolaroc Ranch Historic District · Photo: Wolfgang Sauber · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Barnsdall · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Barnsdall

Barnsdall isn’t graded for hazard risk: Barnsdall has 919 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2002.

Flood claims
1
paid since 2002 · $5K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 31 declared for Osage County
By hazard

What Barnsdall 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

81%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Wildfire

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Strong wind Hail Winter storms Lightning Hurricanes Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 13% of Barnsdall’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (3.6%), 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 Barnsdall flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2002

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Barnsdall, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2002
20022026
1
paid claims since 2002
$5K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Osage County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
12storm safe rooms built
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Barnsdall

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding306 households applied for aid$1.8M aid approved$5.3M to the City of Barnsdall for repairs
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms3 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
  3. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding12 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BarnsdallOsage County only

Osage County has had 31 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Osage County, 2006–2026.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Barnsdall archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Barnsdall faces

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

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 ↗
Wildfire
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Ice storms
  • Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
  • Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
  • Keep sand or salt by the door.
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 Barnsdall

Does Barnsdall flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Barnsdall since 2002, $5K in all.

Is Barnsdall 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 Osage County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Barnsdall?

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

By FEMA money that reached Barnsdall, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2024): 306 households applied for aid, $1.8M approved, and $5.3M to the City of Barnsdall for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Barnsdall.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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