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Nowata County CourthousePhoto: Stugarrett · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Nowata · FEMA

FEMA puts Nowata’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 80% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nowata gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #103 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (44%), then ice storms (33%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1999.

River and rain flooding 44%Ice storms 33%Tornadoes 10%

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 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#103 of 131 in Oklahoma
Hazard risk
C−#103 of 131
in Oklahoma · higher than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
44% of expected building damage
Flood claims
8
paid since 1999 · $153K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
13
of 23 declared for Nowata County
By hazard

What Nowata 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

44%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Ice storms

33%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

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts

Strong wind

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Winter storms top 4% Wildfire Hurricanes 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 strong wind at 24% of Nowata’s expected losses. Strong wind does little damage to buildings (7.5%), 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 Nowata’s grade

River and rain flooding is 44% of the building damage FEMA expects in Nowata, and Nowata’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 33%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Nowata sits
Nowata
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #103 of 131 in Oklahoma; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding44%Ice storms33%Tornadoes10%Everything else12%

The typical Oklahoma town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Nowata has more expected damage per building than 78% of Oklahoma towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Nowata: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Nowata’s 3,517 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 Nowata flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Nowata, from FEMA’s records: 4.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 4 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 1 claim2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 2 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199920082019
19992026
8
paid claims since 1999
$153K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$19K
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

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

Insurance rates: Nowata County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
5storm safe rooms built
Disasters

13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Nowata

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding6 households applied for aid$34K aid approved
  2. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding81 households applied for aid$146K aid approved$38K to the City of Nowata for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$11K to the City of Nowata for repairs
  4. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$907 to the City of Nowata for repairs
  5. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$76K to the City of Nowata for repairs
  6. 2011Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$23K to the City of Nowata for repairs
Show all 13
  1. 2010Severe Winter Storm$6K to the City of Nowata for repairs
  2. 2009Severe Winter Storm$19K to the City of Nowata for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Winter Storms$292K to the City of Nowata for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes24 households applied for aid$157K aid approved
  5. 2007Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$4K to the City of Nowata for repairs
  6. 2003Severe Storms and Tornadoes12 households applied for aid$16K aid approved
  7. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$161K to the City of Nowata for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NowataNowata County only

Nowata 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.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Nowata County, 2015–2015.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Nowata archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Nowata 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Nowata

Is Nowata at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nowata has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #103 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (44%) and ice storms (33%). 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 Nowata flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Nowata since 1999, $153K in all, or 4.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Nowata 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 Nowata County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Nowata?

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

By FEMA money that reached Nowata, Severe Winter Storms (2007): $292K to the City of Nowata for repairs.

Is Nowata at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (44%), and Nowata’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Nowata.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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