FEMA puts Douglass Hills’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Douglass Hills gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #39 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then tornadoes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1978.
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
What Douglass Hills 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
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.
What’s behind Douglass Hills’ grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Douglass Hills, and Douglass Hills’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 13% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #39 of 142 in Kentucky; lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Douglass Hills’ residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Kentucky town has higher expected damage than 52% of U.S. towns; within the state, Douglass Hills has less expected damage per building than 73% of Kentucky towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Douglass Hills: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Douglass Hills flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Douglass Hills, from FEMA’s records: 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Douglass Hills isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.The storms Douglass Hills remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Douglass Hills itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19783 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Jefferson County
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Jefferson County has had 18 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.
Old photos of Douglass Hills after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Douglass Hills archive →Douglass Hills and its neighbors
Douglass Hills has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglass Hills | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Jeffersontown | Bless damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Middletown | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Blue Ridge Manor | — | 743 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Sycamore | — | 118 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 Douglass Hills 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Douglass Hills
Is Douglass Hills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Douglass Hills has lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #39 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and tornadoes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Douglass Hills flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Douglass Hills since 1978, $15K in all, or 1.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Douglass Hills 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 Jefferson County, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Douglass Hills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Douglass Hills’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Douglass Hills at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Douglass Hills’ rate for it is higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Douglass Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Douglass Hills’ 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.