Natural hazards · Light Oak

Light Oak, NC natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Light Oak comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Light Oak?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Light Oak to be higher than in 21% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding52%Tornadoes16%Earthquakes11%Ice storms6%Everything else16%

By hazard

What Light Oak faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

52% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 26% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

16% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Earthquakes

11% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Ice storms

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Light Oak flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Light Oak.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Light Oak isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Cleveland County.

Disasters that hit Light Oak

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Cleveland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Light Oak itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into Light OakDeclared for Cleveland County only

Cleveland County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’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 here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Light Oak covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Light Oak’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Light Oak. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Light Oak total about $1.1M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.