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Boley Historic DistrictBoley Historic District · Photo: National Park Service · Public domain
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Boley · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Boley faces more hazard damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Boley gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (42%), then wildfire (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 42%Wildfire 20%Ice storms 15%

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

more than 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Oklahoma · higher than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
42% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
3
of 31 declared for Okfuskee County

What stands out about Boley’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Wildfire: the top 3% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for wildfire here ranks in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts; it is 20.4% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants8 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Boley 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

42%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Wildfire

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 10 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Earthquakes Winter storms top 4% 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 drought at 31% of Boley’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Boley’s grade

River and rain flooding is 42% of the building damage FEMA expects in Boley, and Boley’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 20%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Boley sits
Boley
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Boley’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding42%Wildfire20%Ice storms15%Everything else23%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $673K a year in losses across Boley: $251K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Boley’s 1,091 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Paden town (419 residents) and IXL town (59 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Boley flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Boley. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

What’s been done with FEMA grants
8storm safe rooms built
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Boley

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

  1. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  2. 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds57 households applied for aid$48K aid approved$239K to the Town of Boley for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Winter Storm$750 to the Town of Boley for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BoleyOkfuskee County only

Okfuskee 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Okfuskee County, 2006–2006.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Boley archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Boley 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 ↗
Hail
  • 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.
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 Boley

Is Boley at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Boley has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (42%) and wildfire (20%). 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 Boley 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.

How much is flood insurance in Boley?

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

By FEMA money that reached Boley, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds (2010): 57 households applied for aid, $48K approved, and $239K to the Town of Boley for repairs.

Is Boley at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (42%), and Boley’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Boley.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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