Photo: H.L.I.T. (flickr.com) · CC BY 2.0Bethany’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethany gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #7 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1982.
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 Bethany 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
Hail
Earthquakes
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 Bethany’s grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bethany, and Bethany’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #7 of 131 in Oklahoma; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bethany’s residents live in 9 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Oklahoma town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bethany has less expected damage per building than 95% of Oklahoma towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.6M a year in losses across Bethany: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bethany flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bethany, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bethany isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Oklahoma County.13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bethany
Disasters that paid out in Bethany itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Bethany), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms61 households applied for aid$16K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2020Severe Winter Storm$1.5M to the City of Bethany for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2015Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$547K to the City of Bethany for repairs
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding11 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
- 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding43 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
- 2007Severe Winter Storms$231K to the City of Bethany for repairs
Show all 13
- 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes6 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
- 2005Extreme Wildfire Threat2 households applied for aid$1K to the City of Bethany for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms and Tornadoes263 households applied for aid$134K aid approved$160K to the City of Bethany for repairs
- 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$430K to the City of Bethany for repairs
- 2001Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$59K to the City of Bethany for repairs
- 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$25K to the City of Bethany for repairs
- 1999Ok, Tornadoes 5/3/99$4K to the City of Bethany for repairs
Oklahoma County has had 31 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.
Also 14 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Oklahoma County, 2005–2026.
Old photos of Bethany after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bethany archive →Bethany and its neighbors
Bethany 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warr Acres | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Bethany | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
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 Bethany 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Bethany
Is Bethany at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bethany has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #7 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and tornadoes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bethany flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Bethany since 1982, $135K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Bethany 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 Oklahoma County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bethany?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bethany’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 Bethany?
By FEMA money that reached Bethany, Severe Winter Storm (2020): $1.5M to the City of Bethany for repairs.
Is Bethany at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Bethany’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bethany.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bethany’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.