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Tonkawa Lodge No. 157 A.F. & A.M.Tonkawa Lodge No. 157 A.F. & A.M. · Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Tonkawa · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Tonkawa than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tonkawa gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #78 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then tornadoes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1986.

River and rain flooding 57%Tornadoes 19%Hail 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 72%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#78 of 131 in Oklahoma
Hazard risk
C#78 of 131
in Oklahoma · higher than 72% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
57% of expected building damage
Flood claims
9
paid since 1986 · $52K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
10
of 30 declared for Kay County
By hazard

What Tonkawa 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

57%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 9 times a year in the area

Ice storms

10%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
 Strong wind Earthquakes Winter storms Wildfire 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 cold waves at 21% of Tonkawa’s expected losses. Cold 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 Tonkawa’s grade

River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tonkawa, and Tonkawa’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Tonkawa sits
Tonkawa
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #78 of 131 in Oklahoma; higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding57%Tornadoes19%Hail10%Everything else14%

The typical Oklahoma town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Tonkawa has more expected damage per building than 59% of Oklahoma towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Tonkawa: $937K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Tonkawa’s 3,015 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Tonkawa Tribal Housing CDP (310 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 Tonkawa flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1986

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tonkawa, from FEMA’s records: 6.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 2 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 2 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 2 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199820162019
19862026
9
paid claims since 1986
$52K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$6K
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

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

Insurance rates: Kay County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
14storm safe rooms built
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tonkawa

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms$3K to the City of Tonkawa for repairs
  2. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding43 households applied for aid$30K aid approved$23K to the City of Tonkawa for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$11K to the City of Tonkawa for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2013Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$20K to the City of Tonkawa for repairs
  5. 2012Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$84K to the City of Tonkawa for repairs
  6. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$11K to the City of Tonkawa for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$27K to the City of Tonkawa for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes1 households applied for aid$975 aid approved$81K to the City of Tonkawa for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Winter Storms$3K to the City of Tonkawa for repairs
  4. 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$230K to the City of Tonkawa for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TonkawaKay County only

Kay County has had 30 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 Kay County, 2006–2006.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Tonkawa archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Tonkawa 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 ↗
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 Tonkawa

Is Tonkawa at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tonkawa has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #78 of 131 in Oklahoma. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and tornadoes (19%). 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 Tonkawa flood?

Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Tonkawa since 1986, $52K in all, or 6.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Tonkawa 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 Kay County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Tonkawa?

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

By FEMA money that reached Tonkawa, Severe Winter Ice Storm (2002): $230K to the City of Tonkawa for repairs.

Is Tonkawa at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Tonkawa’s rate for it is higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tonkawa.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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