Harriet Funk House · Photo: Wdzinc · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Hurstbourne Acres faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hurstbourne Acres gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%), then tornadoes (11%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Hurstbourne Acres 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 Hurstbourne Acres’ grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hurstbourne Acres, and Hurstbourne Acres’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 11% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).
B lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hurstbourne Acres’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $566K a year in losses across Hurstbourne Acres: $352K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hurstbourne Acres flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Hurstbourne Acres. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Hurstbourne Acres isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.The storms Hurstbourne Acres remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hurstbourne Acres itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Jefferson 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.
Hurstbourne Acres and its neighbors
Hurstbourne Acres is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffersontown | Bless damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Hurstbourne Acres | Bless damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Forest Hills | — | 387 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 Hurstbourne Acres 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 Hurstbourne Acres
Is Hurstbourne Acres at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hurstbourne Acres has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and tornadoes (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.
Is Hurstbourne Acres 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 Jefferson County, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hurstbourne Acres?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hurstbourne Acres’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Hurstbourne Acres at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Hurstbourne Acres’ rate for it is higher than 64% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hurstbourne Acres.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hurstbourne Acres’ 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.