Oak Grove’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Oak Grove comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2011. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Oak Grove’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Oak Grove flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Oak Grove, from FEMA’s records.
- The Central U.S. April Flooding6 claims · $517K
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $6K
Oak Grove isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Christian County.How exposed is Oak Grove?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 76% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.
Rated higher than 347 of the 553 Kentucky towns we cover.
Oak Grove covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
What Oak Grove faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Cold waves
5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Oak Grove
Disasters that paid out in Oak Grove itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Oak Grove) and its biggest flood years.
- 2025Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides85 households applied for aid$644K aid approved6 flood claims paid that year
- 2024Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides6 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
- 2021Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes98 households applied for aid$48K aid approved
- 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes1 household applied for aid
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and5 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Christian County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.
Old photos of Oak Grove after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Oak Grove archive →Get ready for what Oak Grove 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
Oak Grove and its neighbors
How storm and flood risk compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Grove | High | inland flooding | 7 |
| Fort Campbell North | High | tornadoes | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in January–March
The month each of Christian County’s 22 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 Oak Grove’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Oak Grove.
- 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. Across Oak Grove, expected losses total about $3.3M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oak Grove.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.