Natural hazards · Oakland

Oakland, NE natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Oakland comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. 2 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Oakland?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Oakland to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding31%Tornadoes17%Drought17%Hail14%Cold waves9%Strong wind6%Everything else7%

By hazard

What Oakland faces

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

Inland flooding

31% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 61% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Drought

17% of expected damage

Recorded about 34 times a year in the area

Hail

14% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Strong wind

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Oakland flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Burt County.

Disasters that hit Oakland

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Oakland itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Oakland.

Brought FEMA money into OaklandDeclared for Burt County only

2019

Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

5 households applied for aid $18K aid approved $134K to the City of Oakland for repairs

2008

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

$2K to the City of Oakland for repairs

Burt County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Oakland

Oakland and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Bell Creekmostly inland floodingHigh

Oaklandmostly inland floodingHigh

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. Oakland is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

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

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.