Natural hazards · Oakland

Oakland, TN natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Oakland comes from earthquakes, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2010. 5 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 70% of U.S. communities, mostly from earthquakes and inland flooding.

Earthquakes47%Inland flooding20%Tornadoes17%Cold waves7%Everything else9%

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.

Earthquakes

47% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

20% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 39% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once every 36 years in the area

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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?

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

4paid claims since 2010

$146Kpaid to owners

1homes flooded more than once

20102026

Biggest named events

Late spring storms: 2 claims, $69K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

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: Fayette County.

Disasters that hit Oakland

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into OaklandDeclared for Fayette County only

2026

Severe Winter Storm

237 households applied for aid $333K aid approved

2010

Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes

105 households applied for aid $80K aid approved

2006

Severe Storms and Tornadoes

1 household applied for aid

2003

Severe Storms, High Winds, and Heavy Rain

9 households applied for aid $6K aid approved

2003

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding

1 household applied for aid $2K aid approved

Fayette County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and winter storms.

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 Town 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.