Powell County flood history
Kentucky · From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 125 flood insurance claims in Powell County, Kentucky since 1978. The NFIP paid $1.8 million on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 2004, with 29, mostly from Heavy rains.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 42 claims, and the average paid claim was $26,141.
14% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 2.0% of homes in Powell County, Kentucky had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (96 of 4,854 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 13% (87 of 674).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 21 flood-related disaster declarations covering Powell County, Kentucky. The most recent was DR-4875-KY (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes), declared May 23, 2025.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | $164,414 |
| 2023 | 1 | $2,048 |
| 2022 | 3 | $8,746 |
| 2021 | 27 | $779,323 |
| 2019 | 1 | $10,194 |
| 2018 | 3 | $28,642 |
| 2015 | 1 | $0 |
| 2014 | 1 | $5,125 |
| 2013 | 2 | $2,983 |
| 2010 | 11 | $250,864 |
| 2009 | 2 | $3,400 |
| 2007 | 1 | $0 |
| 2006 | 1 | $0 |
| 2005 | 1 | $20,902 |
| 2004 | 29 | $367,808 |
| 2003 | 11 | $71,240 |
| 2002 | 1 | $7,368 |
| 2001 | 1 | $1,058 |
| 1998 | 1 | $0 |
| 1997 | 3 | $17,357 |
| 1996 | 1 | $1,732 |
| 1990 | 1 | $4,098 |
| 1989 | 5 | $13,940 |
| 1984 | 1 | $1,042 |
| 1978 | 9 | $52,044 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy rains | 2004 | 29 | $367,808 |
| Central U.S. April Flooding | 2025 | 5 | $125,227 |
| Not a named storm | 1978 | 8 | $52,044 |
| February Kentucky Flooding | 2025 | 1 | $16,618 |
| Flooding | 1989 | 5 | $13,940 |
| Flooding | 1990 | 1 | $4,098 |
| Late summer storms | 2009 | 1 | $2,693 |
| Flooding | 1997 | 2 | $2,101 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 96 residential NFIP policies in Powell County, against 4,854 residential buildings (2.0%). Of the 674 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 87 have an NFIP policy (13%). Private flood policies aren't in these counts.
Whether you're required to carry flood insurance depends on your flood zone and your mortgage. See do I need flood insurance?
What flood insurance costs in Powell County
On June 30, 2026, 116 NFIP flood insurance policies were in force in Powell County, Kentucky. For the 85 single-family homes among them, the typical (median) yearly cost was about $1,310; the average was $1,550.
| Rated flood zone | Policies | Typical yearly cost, single-family home | Average cost | Average building coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-risk zones (A and V) | 107 | $1,340 | $1,610 | $116,000 |
| Moderate- and low-risk zones (B, C and X) | 9 | Too few single-family policies to show | ||
Cost here is what FEMA's data lists as the policy cost: the premium plus the reserve fund assessment, federal policy fee and HFIAA surcharge. It covers single-family homes only (not condos, apartments or businesses), with costs rounded to the nearest $10 and shown only where at least 20 homes back the figure. Your own price depends on your building and the coverage you choose; see how flood insurance is priced. Private flood insurance isn't included.
Flood-related disaster declarations
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4875-KY | May 23, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | Yes |
| DR-4864-KY | Apr 24, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| EM-3626-KY | Apr 3, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | No |
| DR-4860-KY | Feb 24, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| EM-3624-KY | Feb 16, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides | No |
| DR-4848-KY | Nov 26, 2024 | Remnants of Hurricane Helene | No |
| DR-4711-KY | May 9, 2023 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4702-KY | Apr 10, 2023 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4663-KY | Jul 29, 2022 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-4595-KY | Apr 23, 2021 | Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-4540-KY | Apr 24, 2020 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4428-KY | Apr 17, 2019 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4358-KY | Apr 12, 2018 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4218-KY | May 12, 2015 | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4216-KY | Apr 30, 2015 | Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-1912-KY | May 11, 2010 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes | Yes |
| DR-1818-KY | Feb 5, 2009 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | No |
| DR-1523-KY | Jun 10, 2004 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-1454-KY | Mar 14, 2003 | Severe Winter Ice and Snow Storms, Heavy Rain, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Mud and | Yes |
| DR-1407-KY | Apr 4, 2002 | Severe Storms and Flooding | Yes |
Check your own address
County numbers can't tell you about a single building. Look up your property on FEMA's flood map, then read what your flood zone means. More counties: all of Kentucky.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- NFIP Redacted Policies (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP policies in force on June 30, 2026 (a policy counts if its term covers that date and it wasn't cancelled), downloaded 2026-10-08. Policy counts are FEMA's insured units, so a condominium association policy counts each unit. Costs are FEMA's "policy cost" (premium plus reserve fund assessment, federal policy fee and HFIAA surcharge) for single-family homes only. Policies FEMA's data doesn't place in a county count toward the state only.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.