Less hazard damage per building is expected in Oak Ridge than in 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oak Ridge gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then tornadoes (17%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Ridge 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
Tornadoes
Hail
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 Ridge’s grade
River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Oak Ridge, and Oak Ridge’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 17%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Oak Ridge’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $254K a year in losses across Oak Ridge: $150K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Oak Ridge flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Oak Ridge. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Oak Ridge isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kaufman County.The storms Oak Ridge remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Kaufman County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Oak Ridge itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Kaufman County has had 14 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.
Oak Ridge and its neighbors
Oak Ridge is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terrell | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Oak Ridge | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Ridge 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Ridge
Is Oak Ridge at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Oak Ridge has lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and tornadoes (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Oak Ridge 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 Kaufman County, 18% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Oak Ridge?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Oak Ridge’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Oak Ridge at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Oak Ridge’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oak Ridge.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Oak Ridge’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.