Natural hazards · Oakton

Oakton, VA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Oakton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1979. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Oakton?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Oakton to be higher than in 17% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding69%Hurricanes9%Heat waves6%Earthquakes5%Everything else11%

By hazard

What Oakton faces

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

Inland flooding

69% of expected damage

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

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 10 years in the area

Heat waves

6% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 49% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 48% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong 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 Oakton flood?

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

12paid claims since 1979

$77Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Fran: 1 claim, $37K
Mid-spring storms: 1 claim, $202

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Fairfax County.

Disasters that hit Oakton

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into OaktonDeclared for Fairfax County only

2003

Hurricane Isabel

10 households applied for aid $5K aid approved

Fairfax County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and hurricanes.

Around Oakton

Oakton and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Wolf Trapmostly inland floodingLow

Viennamostly inland floodingLow

Difficult Runmostly inland floodingVery low

Oaktonmostly inland floodingVery low

Fairfaxmostly inland floodingVery low

Fair Oaksmostly inland floodingVery low

Merrifieldmostly inland floodingVery low

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. Oakton covers 8 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Oakton’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Oakton. 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 Oakton total about $6.6M 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.