Brooks House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFEMA puts Middlesborough’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middlesborough gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 46 claims here since 1982.
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 Middlesborough 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
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 Middlesborough’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Middlesborough, and Middlesborough’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #142 of 142 in Kentucky; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Middlesborough’s residents live in 4 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, Middlesborough has more expected damage per building than 100% of Kentucky towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.3M a year in losses across Middlesborough: $6.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Middlesborough flood? Sometimes: 46 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Middlesborough, from FEMA’s records: 10.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Middlesborough isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bell County.The storms Middlesborough remembers
None of the 23 disasters declared for Bell County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Middlesborough itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201121 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Bell County
- 19935 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Snowfall and Winter Storm, declared for Bell County
- 19945 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Weather, Freezing Rain, Sleet, Snw, declared for Bell County
Bell County has had 23 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 Bell County, 2000–2001.
Old photos of Middlesborough after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Middlesborough archive →Get ready for what Middlesborough 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.
- 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 Middlesborough
Is Middlesborough at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Middlesborough has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Middlesborough flood?
Flood insurance has paid 46 claims in Middlesborough since 1982, $1.2M in all, or 10.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 74% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Middlesborough 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 Bell County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Middlesborough?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Middlesborough’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Middlesborough at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Middlesborough’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Middlesborough.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Middlesborough’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.