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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Inola · FEMA

FEMA puts Inola’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Inola gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then ice storms (11%). Flood insurance has paid 29 claims here since 1993.

River and rain flooding 77%Ice storms 11%Tornadoes 4%

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 74%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 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
29
paid since 1993 · $580K
Flooded more than once
5
properties · 2 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
10
of 23 declared for Rogers County

What stands out about Inola’s natural hazards

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

Made safer with FEMA grants21 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.Remembers 20016 flood claims were paid for 2001 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Inola 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

77%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Ice storms

11%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 Hail Winter storms top 4% Strong wind 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 heat waves at 14% of Inola’s expected losses. Heat 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 Inola’s grade

River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Inola, and Inola’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 11%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Inola sits
Inola
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Inola’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding77%Ice storms11%Tornadoes4%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $872K a year in losses across Inola: $449K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Inola covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Inola flood? Sometimes: 29 flood claims since 1993

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Inola, from FEMA’s records: 36.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 3 claims1999: 4 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 6 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 4 claims2008: 3 claims2009: 6 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 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 claims199920012009
19932026
Biggest named events
  • The Thunderstorms4 claims · $109K
29
paid claims since 1993
$580K
paid to owners
5
homes flooded more than once
$20K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (2)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Rogers County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
21storm safe rooms built
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Inola

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$423 aid approved
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes$48K to the Town of Inola for repairs
  3. 2021Severe Winter Storms1 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
  4. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding25 households applied for aid$82K aid approved
  5. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$5K to the Town of Inola for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  6. 2007Severe Winter Storms$33K to the Town of Inola for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes46 households applied for aid$96K aid approved$39K to the Town of Inola for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Winter Storms$16K to the Town of Inola for repairs
  3. 2005Extreme Wildfire Threat$2K to the Town of Inola for repairs
  4. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$40K to the Town of Inola for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in InolaRogers County only

Rogers County has had 23 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Inola archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Inola 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 ↗
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 Inola

Is Inola at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Inola has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and ice storms (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Inola flood?

Flood insurance has paid 29 claims in Inola since 1993, $580K in all, or 36.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 90% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Thunderstorms (4).

Is Inola 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 Rogers County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Inola?

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

By FEMA money that reached Inola, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2007): 46 households applied for aid, $96K approved, and $39K to the Town of Inola for repairs. By flood claims, Thunderstorms: 4 paid, $109K.

Is Inola at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Inola’s rate for it is higher than 80% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Inola.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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