Oakland LHMP Hazard Detail

Flood

Flooding in Oakland can come from heavy rain, stormwater problems, and mapped floodplains. It can damage property, contaminate buildings, and force people out of their homes.

Medium risk 7/10 priority flood
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Why Oakland Flags This

Why this is a real threat in Oakland

The LHMP identifies clear flood exposure in Central East Oakland, Eastlake/Fruitvale, West Oakland, and Coliseum/Airport. The plan also notes more intense rainfall and ongoing remapping work.

Location Context

What this page is using

This hazard page is using your saved Oakland location: No location selected.

This page is still grounded in the JSON dataset, but this hazard does not yet have ZIP-specific scoring in the current risk CSV.

What This Means

Why it matters for your situation

If you live in or near a flood-prone area, a strong storm can turn into a housing, health, and transportation problem fast. The biggest problems are usually water damage, unsafe cleanup, and getting back home safely.

Realistic Impact

What could happen

A major storm could flood streets, garages, and ground floors, strand commuters, trigger sewage or mold problems, and push some households into temporary shelter or longer displacement.

Flooding can shut down roads, damage homes and cars, and leave behind mold, contaminated water, and costly repairs. Even when water goes down quickly, the health and housing impacts can last.

Action Steps

Interactive checklist

Flood Preparedness: 0/5 complete

Medium risk
App Flow

Where to go next

This page is the deep-dive layer of the app. Once you understand this hazard, use the map to see spatial context or return to the dashboard to compare it with the rest of Oakland’s hazard priorities.

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Top Risks

Main dangers

  • Water entering homes, buildings, streets, and underpasses.
  • Contaminated water, sewage backup, mold, and cleanup hazards.
  • Household displacement after major flood events.
  • Road, drainage, communications, and hazardous materials disruptions.
  • Higher flood risk from more intense rainfall and post-fire runoff.
Priority Reason

Why this is ranked here

Flood ranks just below the high-risk tier in the LHMP and has meaningful population, infrastructure, and displacement impacts. It gets a strong app score because it is recurring, geographically concentrated, and practical for household action.

Locations

Areas mentioned in the dataset

  • Central East Oakland.
  • Eastlake/Fruitvale.
  • West Oakland.
  • Coliseum/Airport.
At-Risk Groups

Who may need extra planning

  • Low-income residents in flood-prone areas.
  • Renters who may have fewer resources to prepare or recover.
  • People with limited English proficiency and other language or cultural barriers.
  • People with disabilities, mobile home residents, and infants, children, older adults, and pregnant people who are more vulnerable to mold and cleanup-related health effects.
History

Historical examples

  • 1997 flash flood disaster declaration (DR-1155-CA).
  • January 16, 2020 roadway flooding at I-580 westbound and the Coolidge Avenue off-ramp.
  • Late 2022 to early 2023 storms, including more than 18 inches of rain in Oakland between December 26, 2022 and January 17, 2023.