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Breckinridge County, Kentucky courthousePhoto: W.marsh · CC BY-SA 3.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hardinsburg · FEMA

FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Hardinsburg as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hardinsburg gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns, #60 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then tornadoes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2018.

River and rain flooding 54%Tornadoes 16%Hail 12%

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

less than 55%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#60 of 142 in Kentucky
Hazard risk
B−#60 of 142
in Kentucky · lower than 55% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2018 · $30K
Disasters paid out here
2
of 21 declared for Breckinridge County
By hazard

What Hardinsburg 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

54%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

16%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 15 years in the area

Hail

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 4% Strong wind Winter storms 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 Hardinsburg’s grade

River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hardinsburg, and Hardinsburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 16%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hardinsburg sits
Hardinsburg
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− #60 of 142 in Kentucky; lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding54%Tornadoes16%Hail12%Everything else18%

The typical Kentucky town has higher expected damage than 52% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hardinsburg has less expected damage per building than 58% of Kentucky towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Hardinsburg: $777K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Hardinsburg’s 2,385 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 Hardinsburg flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2018

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hardinsburg, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2018
20182026
1
paid claims since 2018
$30K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$30K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Breckinridge County.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hardinsburg

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides9 households applied for aid$30K aid approved
  2. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Mudslides6 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HardinsburgBreckinridge County only

Breckinridge County has had 21 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 Hardinsburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Hardinsburg archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Hardinsburg 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Hardinsburg

Is Hardinsburg at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hardinsburg has lower expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #60 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and tornadoes (16%). 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 Hardinsburg flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Hardinsburg since 2018, $30K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 81% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Hardinsburg 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 Breckinridge County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hardinsburg?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hardinsburg, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2025): 9 households applied for aid, $30K approved.

Is Hardinsburg at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Hardinsburg’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hardinsburg.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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