FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Oatfield as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oatfield gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #24 of 142 in Oregon. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (60%), then river and rain flooding (37%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1980.
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
What Oatfield faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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.
What’s behind Oatfield’s grade
Earthquakes are 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oatfield, and Oatfield’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 37% (lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #24 of 142 in Oregon; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Oatfield’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Oregon town has higher expected damage than 69% of U.S. towns; within the state, Oatfield has less expected damage per building than 84% of Oregon towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.1M a year in losses across Oatfield: $5.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oatfield flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oatfield, from FEMA’s records: 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Winter storm3 claims · $32K
Oatfield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Clackamas County.The storms Oatfield remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Clackamas County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Oatfield itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19964 flood claims paidThe year of High Winds, Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Clackamas County
- 20093 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20153 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Clackamas County
Clackamas County has had 15 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 5 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Clackamas County, 2014–2022.
Old photos of Oatfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oatfield archive →Oatfield and its neighbors
Oatfield has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oatfield | B−less damage than 53% | earthquakes | 12 |
| Oak Grove | Cmore damage than 71% | earthquakes | 49 |
| Jennings Lodge | C−more damage than 75% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Gladstone | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Milwaukie | C−more damage than 77% | earthquakes | 53 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Oatfield faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Oatfield
Is Oatfield at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oatfield has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #24 of 142 in Oregon. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (60%) and river and rain flooding (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Oatfield flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Oatfield since 1980, $123K in all, or 2.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 58% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Winter storm (3).
Is Oatfield 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 Clackamas County, 41% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oatfield?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oatfield’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 Oatfield?
By flood claims, Winter storm: 3 paid, $32K.
Is Oatfield at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Oatfield’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oatfield.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oatfield’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.