Natural hazards · Oakwood

Oakwood, SD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Oakwood comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 69 claims here since 1984. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Oakwood?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Oakwood to be higher than in 57% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding49%Tornadoes19%Cold waves13%Hail8%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Oakwood faces

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

Inland flooding

49% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Cold waves

13% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 34% of U.S. places

Recorded about 12 times a year in the area

Hail

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 76% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

Ice stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

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 Oakwood flood?

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

69paid claims since 1984

$737Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19842026

Biggest named events

Severe flooding: 2 claims, $7K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Brookings County.

Disasters that hit Oakwood

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into OakwoodDeclared for Brookings County only

2011

Flooding

$16K to the Township of Oakwood for repairs

Brookings County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

Around Oakwood

Oakwood and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Oakwoodmostly inland floodingModerate

Winsormostly inland floodingModerate

Volgamostly inland floodingModerate

Prestonmostly inland floodingModerate

Brucemostly inland floodingModerate

Sterlingmostly inland floodingModerate

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. Oakwood covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Oakwood’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Oakwood. 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 Oakwood total about $5.5M 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.