Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Hyden

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Main Street in central HydenPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Hyden · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Hyden

Hyden isn’t graded for hazard risk: Hyden has 325 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1989.

Flood claims
2
paid since 1989 · $36K
Disasters paid out here
8
of 32 declared for Leslie County
By hazard

What Hyden 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

92%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Hail Earthquakes Tornadoes Wildfire Hurricanes Landslides top 4% Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Lightning
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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Hyden flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1989

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hyden, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1989: 2 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 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 claims1989
19892026
2
paid claims since 1989
$36K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$18K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Leslie County.
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Hyden

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides143 households applied for aid$1.0M aid approved
  2. 2022Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides106 households applied for aid$256K aid approved
  3. 2021Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides15 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
  4. 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslide101 households applied for aid$112K aid approved
  5. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Tornadoes8 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
  6. 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Mudslides75 households applied for aid$76K aid approved
Show all 8
  1. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes66 households applied for aid$77K aid approved
  2. 2003Severe Winter Ice and Snow Storms, Heavy Rain, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Mud and23 households applied for aid$39K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in HydenLeslie County only

Leslie County has had 32 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.

Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Leslie County, 2000–2001.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Hyden archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Hyden 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 ↗
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 Hyden

Does Hyden flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Hyden since 1989, $36K in all.

Is Hyden 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 Leslie County, 8% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Hyden?

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

By FEMA money that reached Hyden, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2025): 143 households applied for aid, $1.0M approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hyden.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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