FEMA puts Hendron’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hendron gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #121 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (55%), then river and rain flooding (31%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2015.
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 Hendron faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 Hendron’s grade
Earthquakes are 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hendron, and Hendron’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 3%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #121 of 142 in Kentucky; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Hendron’s residents live in 4 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, Hendron has more expected damage per building than 85% of Kentucky towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.1M a year in losses across Hendron: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hendron flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2015
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hendron, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Hendron isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: McCracken County.The storms Hendron remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for McCracken County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hendron itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20151 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms, Snowstorms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for McCracken County
- 20161 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
McCracken 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 Hendron after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hendron archive →Hendron and its neighbors
Hendron is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Hendron faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Hendron
Is Hendron at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hendron has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #121 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (55%) and river and rain flooding (31%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Hendron flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Hendron since 2015, $11K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Hendron 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 McCracken County, 23% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hendron?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hendron’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Hendron at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Hendron’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hendron.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hendron’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.