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DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Hennessey · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Hennessey than in 88% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hennessey gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (38%), then hail (24%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 38%Hail 24%Tornadoes 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 88%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 88% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
38% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 30 declared for Kingfisher County

What stands out about Hennessey’s natural hazards

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

Hail: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hail here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 24.4% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants14 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Hennessey 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

38%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hail

24%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Ice storms

14%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
 Earthquakes Wildfire Hurricanes Winter storms 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 cold waves at 22% of Hennessey’s expected losses. Cold waves do 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 Hennessey’s grade

River and rain flooding is 38% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hennessey, and Hennessey’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 24%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hennessey sits
Hennessey
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding38%Hail24%Tornadoes15%Everything else23%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Hennessey: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Hennessey’s 2,151 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 Hennessey flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Kingfisher County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
14storm safe rooms built
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hennessey

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

  1. 2020Severe Winter Storm$34K to the Town of Hennessey for repairs
  2. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$575 aid approved
  3. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes3 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
  4. 2005Extreme Wildfire Threat$1K to the Town of Hennessey for repairs
  5. 2003Severe Storms and Tornadoes9 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  6. 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$177K to the Town of Hennessey for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HennesseyKingfisher County only

Kingfisher County has had 30 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 Kingfisher County, 2006–2006.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hennessey archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Hennessey 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 ↗
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 Hennessey

Is Hennessey at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hennessey has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (38%) and hail (24%). 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 Hennessey 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 Kingfisher County, 4% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hennessey?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hennessey, Severe Winter Ice Storm (2002): $177K to the Town of Hennessey for repairs.

Is Hennessey at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (38%), and Hennessey’s rate for it is higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hennessey.

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