Mercer 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 187 flood insurance claims in Mercer County, Kentucky since 1978. The NFIP paid $5.0 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 2010, with 35.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 35 claims, and the average paid claim was $46,596.
29% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 0.7% of homes in Mercer County, Kentucky had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (73 of 10,474 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 14% (65 of 467).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 10 flood-related disaster declarations covering Mercer County, Kentucky. The most recent was DR-4937-KY (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides), declared September 1, 2026.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 | $89,495 |
| 2025 | 23 | $1.4 million |
| 2024 | 1 | $13,023 |
| 2023 | 1 | $10,292 |
| 2021 | 3 | $70,205 |
| 2018 | 2 | $7,954 |
| 2015 | 2 | $23,425 |
| 2013 | 2 | $1,374 |
| 2011 | 1 | $2,250 |
| 2010 | 35 | $1.7 million |
| 2003 | 4 | $62,555 |
| 2002 | 11 | $203,464 |
| 1997 | 28 | $596,454 |
| 1994 | 12 | $199,766 |
| 1993 | 1 | $7,500 |
| 1992 | 1 | $3,685 |
| 1991 | 1 | $10,920 |
| 1990 | 4 | $25,700 |
| 1989 | 24 | $366,522 |
| 1988 | 1 | $0 |
| 1984 | 12 | $61,017 |
| 1982 | 1 | $267 |
| 1979 | 3 | $1,233 |
| 1978 | 9 | $189,839 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central U.S. April Flooding | 2025 | 19 | $1.4 million |
| Flooding | 1997 | 28 | $596,454 |
| Flooding | 1989 | 24 | $366,522 |
| Not a named storm | 1978 | 9 | $189,839 |
| Flooding | 1984 | 12 | $61,017 |
| February Kentucky Flooding | 2025 | 4 | $29,946 |
| Flooding | 1990 | 4 | $25,700 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 73 residential NFIP policies in Mercer County, against 10,474 residential buildings (0.7%). Of the 467 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 65 have an NFIP policy (14%). 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-4937-KY | Sep 1, 2026 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| 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 |
| EM-3624-KY | Feb 16, 2025 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides | No |
| DR-4702-KY | Apr 10, 2023 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | No |
| 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-1818-KY | Feb 5, 2009 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | No |
| DR-1471-KY | Jun 3, 2003 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes | Yes |
| DR-1454-KY | Mar 14, 2003 | Severe Winter Ice and Snow Storms, Heavy Rain, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Mud and | 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.