Photo: Greg5030 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Park Hills’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Park Hills gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #3 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%), then tornadoes (27%). 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 Park Hills 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
Earthquakes
Strong wind
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 Park Hills’ grade
River and rain flooding is 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Park Hills, and Park Hills’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 93% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 27%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
A #3 of 142 in Kentucky; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Park Hills’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Kentucky town has higher expected damage than 52% of U.S. towns; within the state, Park Hills has less expected damage per building than 99% of Kentucky towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $629K a year in losses across Park Hills: $294K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Park Hills flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Park Hills. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Park Hills isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kenton County.The storms Park Hills remembers
None of the 10 disasters declared for Kenton County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Park Hills itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Kenton County has had 10 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.
Park Hills and its neighbors
Park Hills has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park Hills | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Fort Wright | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Covington | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 64 |
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 Park Hills 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Park Hills
Is Park Hills at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Park Hills has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #3 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (57%) and tornadoes (27%). 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 Park Hills 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 Kenton County, 31% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Park Hills?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Park Hills’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Park Hills at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Park Hills’ rate for it is lower than 93% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Park Hills.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Park Hills’ 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.