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Dewey HotelPhoto: David Marshall · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Dewey · FEMA

FEMA puts Dewey’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dewey gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #108 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 1986.

River and rain flooding 72%Tornadoes 14%Ice storms 8%

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 82%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#108 of 131 in Oklahoma
Hazard risk
C−#108 of 131
in Oklahoma · higher than 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
30
paid since 1986 · $797K
Flooded more than once
4
properties · 3 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
10
of 21 declared for Washington County

What stands out about Dewey’s natural hazards

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

Made safer with FEMA grants43 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.Remembers 200710 flood claims were paid for 2007 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Dewey 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

72%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 18 years in the area

Ice storms

8%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
 Strong wind Wildfire Hail Earthquakes Winter storms top 4% Hurricanes Lightning 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 26% of Dewey’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (13.6%), 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Dewey’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dewey, and Dewey’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 14%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Dewey sits
Dewey
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #108 of 131 in Oklahoma; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Tornadoes14%Ice storms8%Everything else6%

The typical Oklahoma town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Dewey has more expected damage per building than 82% of Oklahoma towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Dewey: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Dewey’s 3,372 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Dewey flood? Sometimes: 30 flood claims since 1986

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dewey, from FEMA’s records: 17.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1986: 4 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 3 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 2 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 3 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 3 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 3 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 10 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 2 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198619912007
19862026
Biggest named events
  • The Thunderstorms1 claim · $9K
30
paid claims since 1986
$797K
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$27K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Washington County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
43storm safe rooms built
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dewey

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  2. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding11 households applied for aid$296 aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$5K to the City of Dewey for repairs
  4. 2010Severe Winter Storm$5K to the City of Dewey for repairs
  5. 2009Severe Winter Storm$6K to the City of Dewey for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Winter Storms$2K to the City of Dewey for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes24 households applied for aid$33K aid approved$30K to the City of Dewey for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Winter Storms$19K to the City of Dewey for repairs
  3. 2003Severe Storms and Tornadoes4 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
  4. 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$1K to the City of Dewey for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DeweyWashington County only

Washington 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.

Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Washington County, 2015–2026.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Dewey archive →
Next door

Dewey and its neighbors

Dewey has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Bartlesville: hazard risk C−BartlesvilleDewey
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
DeweyC−more damage than 82%river and rain flooding30
BartlesvilleC−more damage than 85%river and rain flooding261

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 Dewey 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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 Dewey

Is Dewey at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dewey has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #108 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (14%). 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 Dewey flood?

Flood insurance has paid 30 claims in Dewey since 1986, $797K in all, or 17.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Thunderstorms (1).

Is Dewey 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 Washington County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Dewey?

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

By FEMA money that reached Dewey, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2007): 24 households applied for aid, $33K approved, and $30K to the City of Dewey for repairs. By flood claims, Thunderstorms: 1 paid, $9K.

Is Dewey at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Dewey’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dewey.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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