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Ohio County Courthouse KentuckyPhoto: Bedford at en.wikipedia · Public domain
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Hartford · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Hartford faces more hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hartford gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #102 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%), then earthquakes (13%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 59%Earthquakes 13%Hail 9%

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 76%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#102 of 142 in Kentucky
Hazard risk
C−#102 of 142
in Kentucky · higher than 76% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
59% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
5
of 23 declared for Ohio County
By hazard

What Hartford 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

59%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind top 5% Winter storms Hurricanes Lightning 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 Hartford’s grade

River and rain flooding is 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hartford, and Hartford’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 9%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Hartford sits
Hartford
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #102 of 142 in Kentucky; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding59%Earthquakes13%Hail9%Everything else18%

The typical Kentucky town has higher expected damage than 52% of U.S. towns; within the state, Hartford has more expected damage per building than 72% of Kentucky towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Hartford: $1.2M 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 121 aid registrations from Hartford addresses (the town has 1,064 homes).
Shared tract.All of Hartford’s 2,668 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 Hartford flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hartford. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Ohio County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hartford

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides34 households applied for aid$280K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes121 households applied for aid$338K aid approved
  3. 2012Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds and Flooding12 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
  4. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes2 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  5. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HartfordOhio County only

Ohio County has had 23 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Hartford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Hartford archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Hartford 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Hartford

Is Hartford at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hartford has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #102 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (59%) and earthquakes (13%). 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.

Is Hartford 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 Ohio 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 Hartford?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hartford, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2021): 121 households applied for aid, $338K approved.

Is Hartford at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Hartford’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hartford.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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