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Engels' Dry Goods StoreEngels' Dry Goods Store · Photo: Melodibit · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Luther · FEMA

Luther’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Luther gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%), then tornadoes (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 60%Tornadoes 18%Hail 13%

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 62%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 62% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
60% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
9
of 31 declared for Oklahoma County
By hazard

What Luther 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

60%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Hail

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 11 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 4% Wildfire Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning Winter storms 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 17% of Luther’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 Luther’s grade

River and rain flooding is 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Luther, and Luther’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 18%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Luther sits
Luther
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Luther’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 flooding60%Tornadoes18%Hail13%Everything else9%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $569K a year in losses across Luther: $341K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Luther 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 Luther flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Luther. 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

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

Insurance rates: Oklahoma County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
26storm safe rooms built
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Luther

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

  1. 2025Wildfires and Straight-line Winds12 households applied for aid$206K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms6 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  3. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding9 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  4. 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding23 households applied for aid$95K aid approved$2K to the Town of Luther for repairs
  5. 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$4K to the Town of Luther for repairs
  6. 2007Severe Winter Storms$35K to the Town of Luther for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes7 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
  2. 2005Extreme Wildfire Threat2 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
  3. 2003Severe Storms and Tornadoes12 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LutherOklahoma County only

Oklahoma County has had 31 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 14 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Oklahoma County, 2005–2026.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Luther archive →
Next door

Luther and its neighbors

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

Oklahoma City: hazard risk COklahoma CityLuther
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
LutherC+more damage than 62%river and rain flooding0
Oklahoma CityCmore damage than 68%river and rain flooding996

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 Luther 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 ↗
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 Luther

Is Luther at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Luther has higher expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%) and tornadoes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Luther 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 Oklahoma County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Luther?

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

By FEMA money that reached Luther, Wildfires and Straight-line Winds (2025): 12 households applied for aid, $206K approved.

Is Luther at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Luther’s rate for it is higher than 56% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Luther.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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