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Mills HouseMills House · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 3.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Kensett · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Kensett than in 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kensett gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%), then earthquakes (31%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2010.

River and rain flooding 56%Earthquakes 31%Ice storms 6%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 89%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Arkansas · higher than 89% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2010 · $452
Disasters paid out here
4
of 24 declared for White County
By hazard

What Kensett faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

56%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

31%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Hail Winter storms top 4% Hurricanes Lightning top 5% Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Kensett’s grade

River and rain flooding is 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kensett, and Kensett’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 6%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Kensett sits
Kensett
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Kensett’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding56%Earthquakes31%Ice storms6%Everything else7%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Kensett: $860K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kensett’s 1,400 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with West Point town (170 residents) and Griffithville town (155 residents) and Georgetown town (81 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Kensett flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2010

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kensett, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2010
20102026
1
paid claims since 2010
$452
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$452
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Kensett isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: White County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
12storm safe rooms built
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kensett

Disasters that paid out in Kensett itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Kensett), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2017Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  2. 2009Severe Storms and Flooding$7K to the City of Kensett for repairs
  3. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding9 households applied for aid$32K aid approved
  4. 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$11K to the City of Kensett for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KensettWhite County only

White County has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Kensett after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Kensett archive →
Next door

Kensett and its neighbors

Kensett is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Searcy: hazard risk C−SearcyKensett
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
SearcyC−more damage than 83%river and rain flooding16
KensettDmore damage than 89%river and rain flooding1

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Kensett faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Ice storms
  • Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
  • Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
  • Keep sand or salt by the door.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Kensett

Is Kensett at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kensett has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (56%) and earthquakes (31%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Kensett flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Kensett since 2010, $452 in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Kensett in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In White County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Kensett?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kensett’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Kensett?

By FEMA money that reached Kensett, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2003): 9 households applied for aid, $32K approved.

Is Kensett at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Kensett’s rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kensett.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kensett’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.