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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Oakvale · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Oakvale

Oakvale isn’t graded for hazard risk: Oakvale has 254 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1996.

Flood claims
10
paid since 1996 · $73K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 22 declared for Mercer County
By hazard

What Oakvale 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

95%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Tornadoes Hail Wildfire Hurricanes Winter storms Lightning Ice storms Cold waves Landslides Avalanches top 1%
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHeat wavesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 12% of Oakvale’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Oakvale flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oakvale, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 4 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 2 claims2004: 2 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199620032004
19962026
10
paid claims since 1996
$73K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$7K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Oakvale isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Mercer County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oakvale

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

  1. 2025Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  2. 2012Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds10 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides1 households applied for aid$13K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides10 households applied for aid$19K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2002Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides$4K to the Town of Oakvale for repairs
  6. 2001Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides$4K to the Town of Oakvale for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in OakvaleMercer County only

Mercer County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Mercer County, 2001–2001.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Oakvale archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Oakvale faces

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

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 Oakvale

Does Oakvale flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Oakvale since 1996, $73K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Oakvale 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 Mercer County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Oakvale?

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

By FEMA money that reached Oakvale, Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides (2003): 10 households applied for aid, $19K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oakvale.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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