Benham Historic District · Photo: Acdixon · CC0Storms, floods and disasters in Benham
Benham isn’t graded for hazard risk: Benham has 725 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1984.
What Benham 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
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.
Does Benham flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Benham, from FEMA’s records.
Benham isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Harlan County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Benham
Disasters that paid out in Benham itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Benham), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides2 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$435K to the City of Benham for repairs
- 2022Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$280K to the City of Benham for repairs
- 2021Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$224K to the City of Benham for repairs
- 2020Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$177K to the City of Benham for repairs
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$179K to the City of Benham for repairs
Show all 7
- 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$8K to the City of Benham for repairs
Harlan County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Harlan County, 2000–2016.
Old photos of Benham after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Benham archive →Benham and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lynch | — | 709 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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.
Get ready for what Benham faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Benham
Does Benham flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Benham since 1984, $8K in all.
Is Benham 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 Harlan County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Benham?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Benham’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 Benham?
By FEMA money that reached Benham, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): $435K to the City of Benham for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Benham.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Benham’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.