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Coalgate, Oklahoma park P 248Photo: Xnatedawgx · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Coalgate · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Coalgate than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hail

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coalgate gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hail (59%), then river and rain flooding (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hail 59%River and rain flooding 20%Wildfire 9%

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 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Oklahoma · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hail
59% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 21 declared for Coal County

What stands out about Coalgate’s natural hazards

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

Wildfire: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for wildfire here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 8.6% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants4 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Coalgate faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hail

59%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

River and rain flooding

20%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Wildfire

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

5%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes top 5% Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Hurricanes Cold waves top 3% Lightning 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 14% of Coalgate’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (4.4%), 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 Coalgate’s grade

Hail is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Coalgate, and Coalgate’s rate of hail damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 9%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Coalgate sits
Coalgate
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hail59%River and rain flooding20%Wildfire9%Everything else12%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Coalgate: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Coalgate’s 1,667 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Lehigh city (272 residents) and Phillips town (122 residents) and Cottonwood CDP (117 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 Coalgate flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Coal County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4storm safe rooms built
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Coalgate

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms$14K to the City of Coalgate for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding14 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  3. 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$9K to the City of Coalgate for repairs
  4. 2009Severe Storms and Tornadoes$997 to the City of Coalgate for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes6 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
  6. 2007Severe Winter Storms$32K to the City of Coalgate for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$13K to the City of Coalgate for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CoalgateCoal County only

Coal County has had 21 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Coalgate archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Coalgate faces

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

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 ↗
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 Coalgate

Is Coalgate at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coalgate has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hail (59%) and river and rain flooding (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 Coalgate 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 Coal County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Coalgate?

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

By FEMA money that reached Coalgate, Severe Winter Storms (2007): $32K to the City of Coalgate for repairs.

Is Coalgate at risk from hail?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Coalgate’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Coalgate.

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