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Okfuskee County Courthouse (Additional Documentation)Okfuskee County Courthouse (Additional Documentation) · Photo: Pigdogx · CC BY-SA 4.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Okemah · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Okemah than in 67% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Okemah gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns, #53 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (32%), then wildfire (21%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 32%Wildfire 21%Ice storms 19%

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 67%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#53 of 131 in Oklahoma
Hazard risk
C#53 of 131
in Oklahoma · higher than 67% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
32% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
12
of 31 declared for Okfuskee County

What stands out about Okemah’s natural hazards

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

Wildfire: the top 3% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for wildfire here ranks in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts; it is 21.3% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants79 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Okemah 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

32%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Wildfire

21%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Winter storms top 4% 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 12% of Okemah’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 Okemah’s grade

River and rain flooding is 32% of the building damage FEMA expects in Okemah, and Okemah’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 21%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Okemah sits
Okemah
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #53 of 131 in Oklahoma; higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding32%Wildfire21%Ice storms19%Everything else28%

The typical Oklahoma town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Okemah has less expected damage per building than 60% of Oklahoma towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Okemah: $809K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Okemah’s 3,074 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 Okemah flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

What’s been done with FEMA grants
79storm safe rooms built
Disasters

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Okemah

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding35 households applied for aid$203K aid approved$187K to the City of Okemah for repairs
  2. 2022Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
  3. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding93 households applied for aid$146K aid approved$267K to the City of Okemah for repairs
  4. 2013Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding20 households applied for aid$51K aid approved$3K to the City of Okemah for repairs
  5. 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds17 households applied for aid$65K aid approved
  6. 2009Severe Winter Storm$4K to the City of Okemah for repairs
Show all 12
  1. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding14 households applied for aid$24K aid approved$2K to the City of Okemah for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes6 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$6K to the City of Okemah for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Winter Storms$6K to the City of Okemah for repairs
  4. 2005Extreme Wildfire Threat11 households applied for aid$25K aid approved
  5. 2003Severe Storms and Tornadoes9 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
  6. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$146K to the City of Okemah for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OkemahOkfuskee County only

Okfuskee County has had 31 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. 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 Okfuskee County, 2006–2006.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Okemah archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Okemah 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 ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 ↗
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 Okemah

Is Okemah at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Okemah has higher expected damage per building than 67% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #53 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (32%) and wildfire (21%). 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 Okemah 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.

How much is flood insurance in Okemah?

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

By FEMA money that reached Okemah, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2015): 93 households applied for aid, $146K approved, and $267K to the City of Okemah for repairs.

Is Okemah at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (32%), and Okemah’s rate for it is lower than 83% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Okemah.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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