Natural hazards · Ottawa

Ottawa, OH natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ottawa comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 27 claims here since 2007.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Ottawa?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Ottawa to be higher than in 71% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding72%Tornadoes10%Everything else18%

By hazard

What Ottawa faces

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

Inland flooding

72% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Tornadoes

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 98 years in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Ottawa flood?

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

27paid claims since 2007

$788Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20072026

Biggest named events

Late winter storms: 2 claims, $10K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Putnam County.

Disasters that hit Ottawa

Federal disasters declared here

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

Brought FEMA money into OttawaDeclared for Putnam County only

Putnam County has had 10 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

Around Ottawa

Ottawa and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Ottawamostly inland floodingHigh

Greensburgmostly inland floodingHigh

Pleasantmostly inland floodingModerate

Blanchardmostly inland floodingModerate

Rileymostly inland floodingModerate

Libertymostly inland floodingLow

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. Ottawa covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Ottawa’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Ottawa. 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 Ottawa total about $3.9M 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.