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Natural hazards in Oak Valley · FEMA

Oak Valley is calmer than 91% of U.S. communities

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Oak Valley comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2018.

9Very low riskLowerHigherExpected storm and flood damage, vs. U.S. communities
Overall risk
Very low
higher than 9% of U.S. places
Main hazard
Inland flooding
42% of expected damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2018 · $3K
Disasters paid out here
0
of 22 declared for Gloucester County
Expected yearly loss
$643K
buildings, people and crops

What stands out about Oak Valley’s weather risks

Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Expected damage

How exposed is Oak Valley?

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 9% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Where Oak Valley sits
Oak Valley
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Calmer than 547 of the 564 New Jersey towns we cover.

Oak Valley covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

What drives the damage
Inland flooding42%Heat waves14%Cold waves10%Strong wind9%Earthquakes8%Tornadoes6%Everything else12%
Next door

Oak Valley and its neighbors

Oak Valley has the lowest rating of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
TownRatingMostlyFlood claims
WenonahVery lowinland flooding0
Woodbury HeightsVery lowinland flooding3
DeptfordVery lowinland flooding12
Oak ValleyVery lowinland flooding1

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.

Flood insurance claims

Does Oak Valley flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2018

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

Paid flood claims, by year
2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims 2018
20182026
1
paid claims since 2018
$3K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$3K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Gloucester County.
By hazard

What Oak Valley faces

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

Inland flooding

42%of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 15% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Heat waves

14%of expected damage
Well below average · higher than 6% of U.S. places
Recorded about 11 times a year in the area

Cold waves

10%of expected damage
Below average · higher than 40% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

9%of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places
Recorded about 7 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

8%of expected damage
Above average · higher than 64% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

6%of expected damage
Below average · higher than 43% of U.S. places
Lower here
🌊 Coastal flooding🌀 Hurricanes🧊 Hail🧊 Ice storms❄️ Winter weather🔥 Wildfire⛰️ Landslides⚡ Lightning
Not a risk here
DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Storms remembered

Federal disasters declared here

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

Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Oak ValleyGloucester County only

Gloucester County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Be ready

Get ready for what Oak Valley actually faces

A short kit for its top hazards, 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 ↗
Heat waves
  • Know the nearest cooling center or air-conditioned library.
  • Drink water before you feel thirsty.
  • Check on neighbors who live alone.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Cold snaps
  • Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
  • Know where your water shutoff is.
  • Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
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.

Storm season

Most disasters here begin in August–October

The month each of Gloucester County’s 22 declared disasters began, since 1953.

1J
3F
2M
2A
M
1J
1J
5A
4S
2O
N
1D
HurricanesSevere stormsWinter stormsFloodsDroughtsFiresIce storms
How to read this page

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 Valley’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Oak Valley.
  • 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 Valley, expected losses total about $643K a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Oak Valley.

Town Square →
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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.

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