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Nike Ajax Marion, KY PA250202Photo: Chris Light. · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Marion · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Marion faces more hazard damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marion gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #114 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%), then earthquakes (22%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

River and rain flooding 47%Earthquakes 22%Ice storms 13%

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 83%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#114 of 142 in Kentucky
Hazard risk
C−#114 of 142
in Kentucky · higher than 83% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
47% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 22 declared for Crittenden County
By hazard

What Marion 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

47%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts

Ice storms

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hail Winter storms top 2% 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 Marion’s grade

River and rain flooding is 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in Marion, and Marion’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 13%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Marion sits
Marion
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #114 of 142 in Kentucky; higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding47%Earthquakes22%Ice storms13%Everything else18%

The typical Kentucky town has higher expected damage than 52% of U.S. towns; within the state, Marion has more expected damage per building than 80% of Kentucky towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Marion: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Marion’s 2,916 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 Marion flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Marion. 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

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

Insurance rates: Crittenden County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1home raised above flood level
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Marion

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

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$226K to the City of Marion for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding22 households applied for aid$163K aid approved
  3. 2009Severe Winter Storm and Flooding$236K to the City of Marion for repairs
  4. 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides$185K to the City of Marion for repairs
  5. 2004Severe Winter Storm and Record Snow$4K to the City of Marion for repairs
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes4 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MarionCrittenden County only

Crittenden County has had 22 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 Marion after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Marion archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Marion 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 ↗
Ice storms
  • Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
  • Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
  • Keep sand or salt by the door.
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 Marion

Is Marion at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Marion has higher expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #114 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%) and earthquakes (22%). 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 Marion 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 Crittenden County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Marion?

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

By FEMA money that reached Marion, Severe Winter Storm and Flooding (2009): $236K to the City of Marion for repairs.

Is Marion at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and Marion’s rate for it is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marion.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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