Bell 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 566 flood insurance claims in Bell County, Kentucky since 1978. The NFIP paid $7.4 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 2011, with 119.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 62 claims, and the average paid claim was $24,021.
19% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 1.7% of homes in Bell County, Kentucky had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (171 of 10,314 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 11% (147 of 1,349).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 13 flood-related disaster declarations covering Bell County, Kentucky. The most recent was EM-3626-KY (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared April 3, 2025.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | $0 |
| 2025 | 7 | $72,864 |
| 2022 | 1 | $5,144 |
| 2021 | 19 | $576,268 |
| 2020 | 17 | $501,132 |
| 2019 | 4 | $14,960 |
| 2018 | 10 | $101,179 |
| 2017 | 3 | $1,559 |
| 2016 | 1 | $0 |
| 2015 | 6 | $63,586 |
| 2014 | 1 | $2,664 |
| 2011 | 119 | $3.1 million |
| 2010 | 1 | $14,086 |
| 2003 | 17 | $27,766 |
| 2002 | 47 | $436,580 |
| 1999 | 1 | $0 |
| 1998 | 34 | $663,018 |
| 1997 | 12 | $161,841 |
| 1996 | 22 | $334,516 |
| 1994 | 54 | $315,662 |
| 1993 | 30 | $301,983 |
| 1991 | 28 | $116,848 |
| 1990 | 12 | $33,111 |
| 1989 | 28 | $169,073 |
| 1988 | 2 | $0 |
| 1987 | 1 | $0 |
| 1986 | 1 | $0 |
| 1984 | 71 | $328,074 |
| 1983 | 2 | $0 |
| 1982 | 3 | $482 |
| 1981 | 6 | $5,575 |
| 1980 | 1 | $0 |
| 1979 | 1 | $0 |
| 1978 | 3 | $4,373 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flooding | 1984 | 69 | $327,104 |
| Flooding | 1997 | 12 | $161,841 |
| February Kentucky Flooding | 2025 | 7 | $72,864 |
| Flooding | 1990 | 12 | $33,111 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 171 residential NFIP policies in Bell County, against 10,314 residential buildings (1.7%). Of the 1,349 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 147 have an NFIP policy (11%). 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?
Flood-related disaster declarations
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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-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-4008-KY | Jul 25, 2011 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-1523-KY | Jun 10, 2004 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Mudslides | 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.
- 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.