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Unknown Confederate Soldier Monument in Horse CaveUnknown Confederate Soldier Monument in Horse Cave · Photo: The original uploader was Bedford at English Wikipedia. · Public domain
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Horse Cave · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Horse Cave faces more hazard damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Horse Cave gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%), then hail (11%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2010.

River and rain flooding 70%Hail 11%Tornadoes 10%

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 81%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Kentucky · higher than 81% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
70% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2010 · $3K
Disasters paid out here
7
of 21 declared for Hart County
By hazard

What Horse Cave 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

70%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hail

11%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 19 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Hurricanes Winter storms 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 Horse Cave’s grade

River and rain flooding is 70% of the building damage FEMA expects in Horse Cave, and Horse Cave’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 11%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Horse Cave sits
Horse Cave
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding70%Hail11%Tornadoes10%Everything else9%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Horse Cave: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Horse Cave’s 2,212 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 Horse Cave flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2010

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Horse Cave, 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.

Paid flood claims, by year
2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2010
20102026
1
paid claims since 2010
$3K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$3K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Hart County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Horse Cave

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides10 households applied for aid$47K aid approved$80K to the City of Horse Cave for repairs
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$53K to the City of Horse Cave for repairs
  3. 2021Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes44 households applied for aid$5K aid approved$150K to the City of Horse Cave for repairs
  4. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes13 households applied for aid$872 aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$77K to the City of Horse Cave for repairs
  6. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$14K to the City of Horse Cave for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes1 households applied for aid$5K to the City of Horse Cave for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Horse CaveHart County only

Hart 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 Horse Cave after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Horse Cave archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Horse Cave 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 ↗
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 Horse Cave

Is Horse Cave at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Horse Cave has higher expected damage per building than 81% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (70%) and hail (11%). 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 Horse Cave flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Horse Cave since 2010, $3K in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Is Horse Cave 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 Hart County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Horse Cave?

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

By FEMA money that reached Horse Cave, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, and Tornadoes (2021): 44 households applied for aid, $5K approved, and $150K to the City of Horse Cave for repairs.

Is Horse Cave at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (70%), and Horse Cave’s rate for it is higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Horse Cave.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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