Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Vian

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Vian Town Hall, Vian OklahomaPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Vian · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Vian faces more hazard damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vian gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then wildfire (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 55%Wildfire 20%Tornadoes 9%

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 82%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 82% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 24 declared for Sequoyah County

What stands out about Vian’s natural hazards

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

Wildfire: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for wildfire here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 20.5% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants11 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Vian 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

55%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Wildfire

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Ice storms

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Earthquakes Winter storms top 3% 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 heat waves at 16% of Vian’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 Vian’s grade

River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Vian, and Vian’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 20%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Vian sits
Vian
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding55%Wildfire20%Tornadoes9%Everything else16%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $833K a year in losses across Vian: $384K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Vian’s 1,374 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Gore town (951 residents) and Carlisle CDP (483 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 Vian flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

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

Insurance rates: Sequoyah County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
11storm safe rooms built
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Vian

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

  1. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$957 aid approved
  2. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$205K to the Town of Vian for repairs
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm$15K to the Town of Vian for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$7K to the Town of Vian for repairs
  5. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$25K to the Town of Vian for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in VianSequoyah County only

Sequoyah County has had 24 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Vian archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Vian 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Vian

Is Vian at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vian has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and wildfire (20%). 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 Vian 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 Sequoyah County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Vian?

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

By FEMA money that reached Vian, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2015): $205K to the Town of Vian for repairs.

Is Vian at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Vian’s rate for it is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Vian.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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