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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Oglala · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Oglala faces more hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oglala gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (66%), then river and rain flooding (28%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Wildfire 66%River and rain flooding 28%Hail 2%

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 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in South Dakota · higher than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Wildfire
66% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
By hazard

What Oglala faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Wildfire

66%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

28%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Tornadoes Winter storms top 0% Strong wind Earthquakes Lightning top 3% Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 15% of Oglala’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 Oglala’s grade

Wildfire is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oglala, and Oglala’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 28% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Oglala sits
Oglala
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Wildfire66%River and rain flooding28%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $752K a year in losses across Oglala: $392K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding in 2019, FEMA took 86 aid registrations from Oglala addresses (the town has 351 homes).
Shared tract.All of Oglala’s 1,282 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Porcupine CDP (925 residents) and Manderson-White Horse Creek CDP (554 residents) and Wounded Knee CDP (364 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 Oglala flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Oglala. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oglala

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

  1. 2019Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding86 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
  2. 198 households applied for aid$71K aid approved
Were you here?

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

Add to the Oglala archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Oglala faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Oglala

Is Oglala at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oglala has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (66%) and river and rain flooding (28%). 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 Oglala 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.

How much is flood insurance in Oglala?

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

By FEMA money that reached Oglala, (): 198 households applied for aid, $71K approved.

Is Oglala at risk from wildfire?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Oglala’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oglala.

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