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C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Fairfax · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Fairfax than in 84% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfax gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then wildfire (19%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1986.

River and rain flooding 64%Wildfire 19%Ice storms 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 84%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 84% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 1986 · $3K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 31 declared for Osage County

What stands out about Fairfax’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 19.0% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants20 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Fairfax 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

64%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Wildfire

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Hail Winter storms 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 22% of Fairfax’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 Fairfax’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fairfax, and Fairfax’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 19%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Fairfax sits
Fairfax
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding64%Wildfire19%Ice storms9%Everything else8%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $942K a year in losses across Fairfax: $426K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Fairfax’s 1,136 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with McCord CDP (1,418 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 Fairfax flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1986

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fairfax, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims1986
19862026
1
paid claims since 1986
$3K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$3K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Osage County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
20storm safe rooms built
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fairfax

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding20 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
  2. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$980 to the Town of Fairfax for repairs
  3. 2003Severe Storms and Tornadoes4 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$7K to the Town of Fairfax for repairs
  4. 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$4K to the Town of Fairfax for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FairfaxOsage County only

Osage 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Osage County, 2006–2026.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Fairfax archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Fairfax 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Fairfax

Is Fairfax at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfax has higher expected damage per building than 84% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and wildfire (19%). 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 Fairfax flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Fairfax since 1986, $3K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Fairfax 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 Osage County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Fairfax?

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

By FEMA money that reached Fairfax, Severe Storms and Tornadoes (2003): 4 households applied for aid, $9K approved, and $7K to the Town of Fairfax for repairs.

Is Fairfax at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Fairfax’s rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fairfax.

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