Photo: Warren LeMay · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Fort Thomas’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 66% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Thomas gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns, #41 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then tornadoes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 15 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 Fort Thomas 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
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 Fort Thomas’ grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fort Thomas, and Fort Thomas’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 17%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ #41 of 142 in Kentucky; lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Fort Thomas’ 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, Fort Thomas has less expected damage per building than 72% of Kentucky towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across Fort Thomas: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fort Thomas flood? Sometimes: 15 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fort Thomas, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Fort Thomas isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Campbell County.The storms Fort Thomas remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Campbell County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fort Thomas itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20034 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20164 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19782 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Campbell County has had 12 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.
Old photos of Fort Thomas after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fort Thomas archive →Fort Thomas and its neighbors
Fort Thomas is 3rd of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Heights | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Southgate | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Fort Thomas | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Bellevue | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 62 |
| Newport | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
| Dayton | C−more damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 76 |
| Woodlawn | — | 181 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 Fort Thomas 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.
- 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 Fort Thomas
Is Fort Thomas at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fort Thomas has lower expected damage per building than 66% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #41 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and tornadoes (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Fort Thomas flood?
Flood insurance has paid 15 claims in Fort Thomas since 1978, $92K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Fort Thomas 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 Campbell County, 37% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fort Thomas?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fort Thomas’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Fort Thomas at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Fort Thomas’ rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fort Thomas.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fort Thomas’ 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.