On FEMA’s figures, Oak Leaf faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oak Leaf gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 2004.
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 Oak Leaf 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
Hail
Tornadoes
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 Oak Leaf’s grade
River and rain flooding is 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oak Leaf, and Oak Leaf’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 8%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Oak Leaf’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $491K a year in losses across Oak Leaf: $348K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oak Leaf flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 2004
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oak Leaf, from FEMA’s records: 17.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Dallas Flash Floods2 claims · $420K
Oak Leaf isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ellis County.The storms Oak Leaf remembers
None of the 15 disasters declared for Ellis County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Oak Leaf itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20186 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20222 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20041 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Ellis County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Ellis County, 1999–2011.
Old photos of Oak Leaf after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oak Leaf archive →Oak Leaf and its neighbors
Oak Leaf is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Ovilla | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Glenn Heights | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Oak Leaf | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
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 Oak Leaf 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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.
- 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 Oak Leaf
Is Oak Leaf at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oak Leaf has higher expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (82%) and hail (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Oak Leaf flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Oak Leaf since 2004, $2.2M in all, or 17.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Dallas Flash Floods (2).
Is Oak Leaf 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 Ellis County, 29% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oak Leaf?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oak Leaf’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 Oak Leaf?
By flood claims, Dallas Flash Floods: 2 paid, $420K.
Is Oak Leaf at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Oak Leaf’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oak Leaf.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oak Leaf’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.