Photo: Lee Paxton · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Oakdale faces more hazard damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oakdale gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). Flood insurance has paid 78 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 stands out about Oakdale’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Oakdale 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
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 Oakdale’s grade
River and rain flooding is 98% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oakdale, and Oakdale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Oakdale’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $579K a year in losses across Oakdale: $427K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oakdale flood? Sometimes: 78 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oakdale, from FEMA’s records: 110.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Ivan18 claims · $1.9M
- Hurricane Ida11 claims · $156K
Oakdale isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Allegheny County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Oakdale
Disasters that paid out in Oakdale itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Oakdale), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2004Tropical Depression Ivan169 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved18 flood claims paid for it, $1.9M
Allegheny 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.
Old photos of Oakdale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oakdale archive →Oakdale and its neighbors
Oakdale is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Fayette Township | Aless damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 36 |
| South Fayette Township | Aless damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 64 |
| Oakdale | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 78 |
| Noblestown | — | 616 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Oakdale faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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 Oakdale
Is Oakdale at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oakdale has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (98%). 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 Oakdale flood?
Flood insurance has paid 78 claims in Oakdale since 1980, $3.0M in all, or 110.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 13 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Ivan (18).
Is Oakdale 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 Allegheny County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oakdale?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oakdale’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 Oakdale?
By FEMA money that reached Oakdale, Tropical Depression Ivan (2004): 169 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Ivan: 18 paid, $1.9M.
Is Oakdale at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (98%), and Oakdale’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oakdale.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oakdale’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.