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Cotton County CourthousePhoto: Crimsonedge34 · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Walters · FEMA

Walters’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walters gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then tornadoes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 2007.

River and rain flooding 57%Tornadoes 12%Strong wind 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 57%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 57% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
57% of expected building damage
Flood claims
9
paid since 2007 · $161K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
12
of 29 declared for Cotton County
By hazard

What Walters 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
About average · lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Strong wind

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Wildfire

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 4% Earthquakes Cold waves top 3% Lightning Hurricanes Winter storms 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 Walters’ 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 Walters’ grade

River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Walters, and Walters’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 9%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Walters sits
Walters
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding57%Tornadoes12%Strong wind9%Everything else21%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Walters: $612K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Walters’ 2,412 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 Walters flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 2007

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Walters, from FEMA’s records: 8.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2007: 3 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 4 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 2 claims2026: 0 claims200720152025
20072026
Biggest named events
  • The Early summer storms4 claims · $66K
  • The Thunderstorms3 claims · $35K
9
paid claims since 2007
$161K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$18K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Cotton County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
10storm safe rooms built
Disasters

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Walters

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

  1. 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes$70K to the City of Walters for repairs
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storms15 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
  3. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$36K to the City of Walters for repairs
  4. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding$25K to the City of Walters for repairs
  5. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding27 households applied for aid$48K aid approved$149K to the City of Walters for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2010Severe Winter Storm$7K to the City of Walters for repairs
Show all 12
  1. 2007Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$12K to the City of Walters for repairs
  2. 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes40 households applied for aid$52K aid approved$61K to the City of Walters for repairs
  3. 2007Severe Winter Storms$16K to the City of Walters for repairs
  4. 2005Extreme Wildfire Threat7 households applied for aid$21K aid approved$3K to the City of Walters for repairs
  5. 2001Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$25K to the City of Walters for repairs
  6. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$14K to the City of Walters for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in WaltersCotton County only

Cotton County has had 29 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.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Walters archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Walters 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Walters

Is Walters at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Walters has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and tornadoes (12%). 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 Walters flood?

Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Walters since 2007, $161K in all, or 8.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Early summer storms (4).

Is Walters 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 Cotton County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Walters?

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

By FEMA money that reached Walters, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2015): 27 households applied for aid, $48K approved, and $149K to the City of Walters for repairs. By flood claims, Early summer storms: 4 paid, $66K.

Is Walters at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Walters’ rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Walters.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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