Oakville’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Oakville comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 18 claims here since 1982. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Oakville’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Oakville flood? Sometimes: 18 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oakville, from FEMA’s records.
- The Midwest Flooding2 claims · $9K
Oakville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Louisa County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oakville
Disasters that paid out in Oakville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Oakville) and its biggest flood years.
- 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$20K to the City of Oakville for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding307 households applied for aid$4.9M aid approved$4.0M to the City of Oakville for repairs13 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding4 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
Louisa County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and severe storms.
Old photos of Oakville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oakville archive →How exposed is Oakville?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 67% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and strong winds.
Rated higher than 842 of the 1,026 Iowa towns we cover.
Oakville is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Oakville faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Strong wind
Tornadoes
Hail
Drought
Heat waves
Get ready for what Oakville actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in April–June
The month each of Louisa County’s 17 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Oakville’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Oakville.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oakville.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Weather alerts: National Weather Service. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.