Flood risk is a solvable problem.
We’re here to solve it.
Most flood damage is preventable. Most homeowners don’t know their risk. Most funding goes unclaimed. Oiriunu exists to close all three gaps — through education, tools, and connections that work.
To make flood resilience accessible to every homeowner and community
Oiriunu was built on a simple observation: the knowledge, tools, and funding to dramatically reduce flood risk already exist. What’s missing is access — a clear, trustworthy way for homeowners to understand their exposure, know what to do about it, and find the resources to act.
We are a nonprofit educational platform. That means our only objective is to get the right information to the right people at the right time. We don’t sell insurance. We don’t refer for commission. We don’t monetise your data. Our success is measured by how many homeowners understand their risk and take meaningful action — not by revenue.
Flooding is the most common and most costly natural disaster in the United States. It is also the most preventable. Oiriunu’s mission is to close the gap between what is possible and what most homeowners actually know and do.
Three gaps that leave homeowners exposed
Flood resilience fails at three distinct points — and fixing one without the others doesn’t work. A homeowner who understands their risk but can’t act on it is only marginally better off. Oiriunu addresses all three simultaneously.
The awareness gap
40% of flood damage occurs outside FEMA-designated high-risk zones. FEMA maps are widely outdated. Most homeowners have no reliable way to understand their true exposure — and therefore no reason to act.
The action gap
Even homeowners who know they’re at risk often don’t know what to do, what to prioritise, or what it will cost. Prevention guidance is scattered, conflicting, and rarely tailored to a specific property’s vulnerabilities.
The resources gap
Federal and state grant programs collectively offer billions in mitigation funding each year. Most homeowners have never heard of them. Complex applications, bureaucratic language, and unclear eligibility keep funds unclaimed.
Why being a nonprofit matters for this mission
Flood risk information sits at the intersection of public safety, financial services, insurance, and construction — industries with significant commercial interests in how homeowners understand their risk. A for-profit platform in this space faces inevitable conflicts between user interest and revenue.
Oiriunu is structured as a nonprofit specifically to avoid those conflicts. Our users’ interests and our organisational interests are identical: the more accurately homeowners understand their risk and the more effectively they act on it, the better we’re doing our job. There is no version of our mission that benefits from keeping homeowners confused, under-insured, or over-sold.
No insurance referral fees
We describe insurance options and help homeowners understand what’s available. We do not receive referral fees, commissions, or payments from insurers. Our insurance guidance is based solely on what’s right for the homeowner’s situation.
No data monetisation
Your property data, risk score, and assessment results are yours. We do not sell, share, or broker your personal or property data to third parties. Data we collect is used only to provide and improve the service.
No advertising
Oiriunu carries no advertising of any kind. No product placements, no sponsored recommendations, no pay-to-rank contractors. Provider connections are based on qualification and geographic coverage — not who pays us.
Funded by mission-aligned sources
Oiriunu is funded through foundations, government resilience grants, and philanthropic donors whose interests align with reducing flood risk — not by commercial partners with stakes in the outcomes of our guidance.
The resources to protect most American homes from flood damage already exist — the science, the prevention methods, the funding programs. What’s missing is a trusted, accessible bridge between those resources and the people who need them. That’s what Oiriunu is.
How we earn and protect your trust
In a domain where financial stakes are high and misinformation is common, trust is earned through demonstrated behaviour — not claims. These are the specific commitments we make and the mechanisms we use to keep them.
Source transparency
Every factual claim on this platform cites its source. FEMA data is labelled FEMA data. Industry estimates are labelled as estimates. We distinguish between what is established and what is uncertain.
Methodology disclosure
Our risk assessment methodology is documented publicly. You can see exactly what data sources, weighting factors, and scoring models produce your risk score — and how they may differ from professional surveys.
Honest about limitations
Our assessment is a starting point, not a definitive survey. We say so clearly. We recommend professional elevation certificates and flood risk surveys where they matter. We don’t oversell our tool’s precision.
Provider vetting criteria
Contractors, surveyors, and brokers in our network are listed based on published qualification criteria — licensing, insurance, flood experience, and user feedback. Criteria are published so users can evaluate them.
Annual transparency report
Oiriunu publishes an annual report covering funding sources, platform usage, methodology updates, and any conflicts of interest identified. Available publicly on our website with no registration required.
Editorial independence
Content decisions are made independently of funding sources. Funders do not review, approve, or influence educational content. Our editorial board includes flood risk professionals with no commercial stake in our recommendations.
What we promise — and how we keep it
We will always tell you what we don’t know
Where flood risk data is incomplete, outdated, or uncertain, we say so — rather than projecting false precision. Our risk scores carry confidence intervals. Our recommendations note when professional verification is needed. You deserve accurate information, including accurate information about its limits.
We will prioritise the most vulnerable communities
Flood risk is not distributed equally. Low-income homeowners, communities of colour, and rural households face disproportionate flood exposure with fewer resources to address it. We actively design our tools and outreach to reach these communities — not just the homeowners who already have the means to act.
We will keep the platform free
Flood resilience education and tools should not be a luxury product. Oiriunu’s core platform — risk assessment, educational content, funding guidance, and documentation checklists — will remain free to use for individual homeowners. Institutional and municipal users may access premium features that fund the free tier.
We will update our guidance as science evolves
Flood risk modelling, FEMA map accuracy, and the effectiveness of specific mitigation measures all improve over time. We commit to reviewing and updating our educational content, risk methodology, and program guidance on a published schedule — and to notifying users when material updates affect their risk profile or recommendations.
We will tell you when we can’t help — and point you to who can
There are questions about flood risk that require a licensed professional to answer properly. We will always clearly identify the boundary between what our platform can provide and what requires a surveyor, licensed engineer, insurance professional, or attorney — and connect you with the right type of professional for your situation.
Who builds and governs Oiriunu
Oiriunu is governed by an independent board of directors and advised by a technical advisory council of flood risk professionals, climate scientists, insurance specialists, and community resilience practitioners. Content decisions are made by an editorial team with no commercial relationships to the industries we cover.
Technical advisory council
Our content accuracy and methodology is reviewed by specialists with direct expertise in the domains we cover.
- Certified floodplain managers (CFMs)
- Licensed land surveyors with elevation certificate experience
- FEMA grant specialists and floodplain administrators
- Independent flood insurance professionals
- Climate and hydrological scientists
- Community resilience practitioners
Editorial and content standards
Educational content follows documented standards to ensure accuracy, neutrality, and accessibility.
- All factual claims require a citable primary source
- Content reviewed by at least one domain specialist before publication
- Conflicts of interest disclosed by all reviewers
- Update policy: annual review of all substantive content
- User corrections reviewed within 14 days
- Plain-language standard: accessible to a general audience
Funding sources and governance
Oiriunu’s financial independence is a prerequisite for its editorial independence.
- Foundation grants — mission-aligned philanthropic funding
- Federal resilience program grants (HUD, FEMA, EPA)
- Municipal partnership agreements (institutional tier)
- No commercial advertising or sponsored content
- No insurance or contractor referral fees
- Annual financial statements published publicly
Contact and accountability
We are accountable to our users, our funders, and the communities we serve — in that order.
- Content corrections: content@oiriunu.org
- Provider feedback and vetting: providers@oiriunu.org
- Press and media: press@oiriunu.org
- Municipal partnerships: municipalities@oiriunu.org
- Annual transparency report: published each January
- Board meeting minutes: published quarterly
Understanding your risk is free. So is acting on it.
Run your flood risk assessment, explore prevention measures, and find the funding you may already qualify for — no account required.