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Hobart Main StreetPhoto: Treasa at English Wikipedia · Public domain
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hobart · FEMA

For tornadoes, Hobart’s building-damage rate is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hobart gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #26 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (33%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 2004.

River and rain flooding 33%Tornadoes 19%Strong wind 18%

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 60%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#26 of 131 in Oklahoma
Hazard risk
C+#26 of 131
in Oklahoma · higher than 60% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
33% of expected building damage
Flood claims
5
paid since 2004 · $87K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
7
of 29 declared for Kiowa County
By hazard

What Hobart 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

33%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Strong wind

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Hail

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 10 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Wildfire 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 tornadoes at 32% of Hobart’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (19.3%), 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 Hobart’s grade

River and rain flooding is 33% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hobart, and Hobart’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hobart sits
Hobart
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #26 of 131 in Oklahoma; higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding33%Tornadoes19%Strong wind18%Everything else30%

The typical Oklahoma town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hobart has less expected damage per building than 81% of Oklahoma towns.

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

Shared tract.All of Hobart’s 3,413 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 Hobart flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 2004

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hobart, from FEMA’s records: 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 2 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420072010
20042026
5
paid claims since 2004
$87K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$17K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Kiowa County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
29storm safe rooms built
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hobart

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms$105K to the City of Hobart for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding23 households applied for aid$26K aid approved$30K to the City of Hobart for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Winter Storm$136K to the City of Hobart for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$750 to the City of Hobart for repairs
  5. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$188 to the City of Hobart for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes82 households applied for aid$245K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$156K to the City of Hobart for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HobartKiowa County only

Kiowa County has had 29 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Kiowa County, 2008–2025.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hobart archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Hobart 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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 ↗
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 Hobart

Is Hobart at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hobart has higher expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #26 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (33%) and tornadoes (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 Hobart flood?

Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Hobart since 2004, $87K in all, or 2.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Hobart 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 Kiowa County, 3% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hobart?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hobart, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2007): 82 households applied for aid, $245K approved.

Is Hobart at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (33%), and Hobart’s rate for it is lower than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hobart.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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