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South Union Shaker Center House and PreservatorySouth Union Shaker Center House and Preservatory · Photo: E.R. Pearson · Public domain
CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Auburn · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Auburn faces more hazard damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Auburn gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then hail (11%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2010.

River and rain flooding 68%Hail 11%Earthquakes 10%

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 74%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C
in Kentucky · higher than 74% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
68% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2010 · $38K
Disasters paid out here
3
of 14 declared for Logan County
By hazard

What Auburn 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

68%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms Strong wind Winter storms Hurricanes Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 32% of Auburn’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Auburn’s grade

River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Auburn, and Auburn’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 11%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Auburn sits
Auburn
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding68%Hail11%Earthquakes10%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $895K a year in losses across Auburn: $376K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Auburn’s 1,589 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. 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 Auburn flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2010

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Auburn, from FEMA’s records: 5.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2010: 2 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 2 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims20102017
20102026
4
paid claims since 2010
$38K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$9K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Logan County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1storm safe room built
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Auburn

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides4 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes56 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes35 households applied for aid$109K aid approved$11K to the City of Auburn for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AuburnLogan County only

Logan County has had 14 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 Auburn after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Auburn archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Auburn 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 ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
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 Auburn

Is Auburn at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Auburn has higher expected damage per building than 74% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and hail (11%). 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 Auburn flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Auburn since 2010, $38K in all, or 5.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Auburn 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 Logan County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Auburn?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Auburn’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 Auburn?

By FEMA money that reached Auburn, Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes (2010): 35 households applied for aid, $109K approved, and $11K to the City of Auburn for repairs.

Is Auburn at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Auburn’s rate for it is higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Auburn.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Auburn’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.