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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Colbert · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Colbert than in 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Colbert gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then hail (12%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2015.

River and rain flooding 68%Hail 12%Ice storms 10%

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 68%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 68% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
68% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2015 · $101K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 18 declared for Bryan County
By hazard

What Colbert 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

68%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Ice storms

10%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 Wildfire Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms Hurricanes Cold waves top 2% 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 34% of Colbert’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (3.3%), 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 Colbert’s grade

River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Colbert, and Colbert’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 12%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Colbert sits
Colbert
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding68%Hail12%Ice storms10%Everything else10%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $543K a year in losses across Colbert: $228K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Colbert’s 1,027 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Cartwright CDP (492 residents) and Platter CDP (159 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 Colbert flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2015

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Colbert, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2015
20152026
Biggest named events
  • The Early summer storms1 claim · $101K
1
paid claims since 2015
$101K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$101K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

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

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Colbert

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

  1. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding24 households applied for aid$33K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2009Severe Winter Storm$4K to the Town of Colbert for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes5 households applied for aid$309 aid approved
  4. 2005Extreme Wildfire Threat6 households applied for aid$53K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in ColbertBryan County only

Bryan County has had 18 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Bryan County, 2005–2005.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Colbert archive →
Next door

Colbert and its neighbors

Colbert is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Calera: hazard risk C+CaleraColbert
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
CaleraC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding—
ColbertCmore damage than 68%river and rain flooding1

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Colbert 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Colbert

Is Colbert at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Colbert has higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and hail (12%). 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 Colbert flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Colbert since 2015, $101K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Early summer storms (1).

Is Colbert 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 Bryan County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Colbert?

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

By FEMA money that reached Colbert, Extreme Wildfire Threat (2005): 6 households applied for aid, $53K approved. By flood claims, Early summer storms: 1 paid, $101K.

Is Colbert at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Colbert’s rate for it is higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Colbert.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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