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Sayre Rock Island DepotSayre Rock Island Depot · Photo: Crimsonedge34 · CC BY-SA 3.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Sayre · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Sayre faces more hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sayre gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #63 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (33%), then ice storms (18%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 33%Ice storms 18%Tornadoes 16%

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 69%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#63 of 131 in Oklahoma
Hazard risk
C#63 of 131
in Oklahoma · higher than 69% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
33% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
8
of 22 declared for Beckham County
By hazard

What Sayre 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
Below average · lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Ice storms

18%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

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Wildfire

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Winter storms top 2% Cold waves Lightning Hurricanes 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 drought at 17% of Sayre’s expected losses. Drought does 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 Sayre’s grade

River and rain flooding is 33% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sayre, and Sayre’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 18%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Sayre sits
Sayre
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #63 of 131 in Oklahoma; higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding33%Ice storms18%Tornadoes16%Everything else33%

The typical Oklahoma town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Sayre has less expected damage per building than 52% of Oklahoma towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Sayre: $988K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Sayre’s 4,809 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Carter town (183 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Sayre flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Beckham County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
44storm safe rooms built
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sayre

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$348K to the City of Sayre for repairs
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding20 households applied for aid$53K aid approved
  3. 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$13K to the City of Sayre for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$7K to the City of Sayre for repairs
  5. 2002Severe Ice Storm$2K to the City of Sayre for repairs
  6. 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$17K to the City of Sayre for repairs
Show all 8
  1. 2001Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$21K to the City of Sayre for repairs
  2. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$17K to the City of Sayre for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in SayreBeckham County only

Beckham County has had 22 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 Beckham County, 2026–2026.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Sayre archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Sayre 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Sayre

Is Sayre at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sayre has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #63 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (33%) and ice storms (18%). 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 Sayre 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 Beckham County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Sayre?

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

By FEMA money that reached Sayre, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2019): $348K to the City of Sayre for repairs.

Is Sayre at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (33%), and Sayre’s rate for it is lower than 79% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sayre.

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