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Railroad Avenue in Dawson SpringsPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Dawson Springs · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Dawson Springs faces more hazard damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dawson Springs gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then earthquakes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2025.

River and rain flooding 66%Earthquakes 14%Tornadoes 7%

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 86%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D
in Kentucky · higher than 86% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
66% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2025 · $97K
Disasters paid out here
4
of 23 declared for Hopkins County
By hazard

What Dawson Springs 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

66%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Strong wind top 5% Winter storms top 2% Lightning Hurricanes 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 Dawson Springs’ grade

River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dawson Springs, and Dawson Springs’ 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 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Dawson Springs sits
Dawson Springs
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding66%Earthquakes14%Tornadoes7%Everything else14%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Dawson Springs: $1.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes in 2021, FEMA took 1,103 aid registrations from Dawson Springs addresses (the town has 978 homes).
Shared tract.All of Dawson Springs’ 2,452 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 Dawson Springs flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2025

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dawson Springs, from FEMA’s records: 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims2025
20252026
Biggest named events
  • The Central U.S. April Flooding1 claim · $97K
1
paid claims since 2025
$97K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$97K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Hopkins County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
6storm safe rooms built
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dawson Springs

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides40 households applied for aid$182K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides72 households applied for aid$420K aid approved
  3. 2021Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes1,103 households applied for aid$4.4M aid approved
  4. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes1 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Dawson SpringsHopkins County only

Hopkins County has had 23 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 Dawson Springs after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Dawson Springs archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Dawson Springs 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Dawson Springs

Is Dawson Springs at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dawson Springs has higher expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and earthquakes (14%). 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 Dawson Springs flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Dawson Springs since 2025, $97K in all, or 1.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Central U.S. April Flooding (1).

Is Dawson Springs 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 Hopkins County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Dawson Springs?

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

By FEMA money that reached Dawson Springs, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2021): 1,103 households applied for aid, $4.4M approved. By flood claims, Central U.S. April Flooding: 1 paid, $97K.

Is Dawson Springs at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Dawson Springs’ rate for it is higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dawson Springs.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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