Ringwood’s biggest natural hazard is cold waves
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Ringwood comes from cold waves, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Ringwood’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Ringwood flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Ringwood. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Ringwood isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Major County.What Ringwood faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Cold waves
Hail
Inland flooding
Drought
Ice storms
Tornadoes
How exposed is Ringwood?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 90% of U.S. communities, mostly from cold waves and hail.
Rated higher than 796 of the 838 Oklahoma towns we cover.
Ringwood is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ringwood
Disasters that paid out in Ringwood itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Ringwood) and its biggest flood years.
- 2015Severe Winter Storms and Flooding$7K to the Town of Ringwood for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$39K to the Town of Ringwood for repairs
- 2002Severe Winter Ice Storm$7K to the Town of Ringwood for repairs
Major County has had 28 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and ice storms.
Old photos of Ringwood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ringwood archive →Get ready for what Ringwood actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in May–June
The month each of Major County’s 28 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 Ringwood’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Ringwood.
- 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.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ringwood.
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.