More hazard damage per building is expected in Massac than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Massac gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns, #112 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (58%), then river and rain flooding (27%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2000.
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 Massac 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
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 Massac’s grade
Earthquakes are 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Massac, and Massac’s rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #112 of 142 in Kentucky; higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Massac’s residents live in 2 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, Massac has more expected damage per building than 79% of Kentucky towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.6M a year in losses across Massac: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Massac flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Massac, from FEMA’s records: 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Massac 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 Massac remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for McCracken County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Massac itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20001 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 Massac after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Massac archive →Massac and its neighbors
Massac has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. 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 Massac 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.
- 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 Massac
Is Massac at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Massac has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #112 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (58%) and river and rain flooding (27%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Massac flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Massac since 2000, $6K in all, or 0.5 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Massac 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 Massac?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Massac’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Massac at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Massac’s rate for it is in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Massac.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Massac’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.