Knott 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 205 flood insurance claims in Knott County, Kentucky since 1978. The NFIP paid $6.6 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 2022, with 65, mostly from Late July Flooding.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 103 claims, and the average paid claim was $66,997.
22% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 1.1% of homes in Knott County, Kentucky had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (79 of 6,925 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 12% (66 of 530).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 26 flood-related disaster declarations covering Knott 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | $0 |
| 2025 | 35 | $875,978 |
| 2024 | 1 | $35,736 |
| 2023 | 1 | $657 |
| 2022 | 65 | $4.9 million |
| 2014 | 4 | $8,856 |
| 2012 | 2 | $50,668 |
| 2007 | 3 | $26,712 |
| 2005 | 1 | $0 |
| 2004 | 3 | $11,421 |
| 2003 | 24 | $212,436 |
| 2001 | 4 | $38,003 |
| 1998 | 6 | $38,043 |
| 1995 | 2 | $17,881 |
| 1994 | 1 | $552 |
| 1992 | 1 | $1,614 |
| 1991 | 1 | $0 |
| 1989 | 8 | $22,271 |
| 1984 | 23 | $315,186 |
| 1981 | 14 | $39,292 |
| 1978 | 5 | $5,527 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late July Flooding | 2022 | 64 | $4.9 million |
| February Kentucky Flooding | 2025 | 34 | $869,430 |
| Flooding | 1984 | 23 | $315,186 |
| Flooding | 1989 | 4 | $13,837 |
| Not a named storm | 1978 | 5 | $5,527 |
| Heavy rains | 2004 | 1 | $831 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 79 residential NFIP policies in Knott County, against 6,925 residential buildings (1.1%). Of the 530 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 66 have an NFIP policy (12%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4875-KY | May 23, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 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-4711-KY | May 9, 2023 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4663-KY | Jul 29, 2022 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-4643-KY | Feb 27, 2022 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides | 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-4239-KY | Aug 12, 2015 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslide | Yes |
| 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-4196-KY | Sep 30, 2014 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| DR-4008-KY | Jul 25, 2011 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-1976-KY | May 4, 2011 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | Yes |
| DR-1912-KY | May 11, 2010 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes | Yes |
| DR-1841-KY | May 29, 2009 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding and Mudslides | Yes |
| DR-1703-KY | May 25, 2007 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Rockslides | No |
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.