Photo: Mhuy222 · CC BY-SA 4.0For tornadoes, Union’s building-damage rate is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #52 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1990.
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 Union 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
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 Union’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Union, and Union’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 20%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
B #52 of 142 in Kentucky; lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Union’s residents live in 5 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, Union has less expected damage per building than 64% of Kentucky towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Union: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Union flood? Rarely: 5 flood claims since 1990
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Union, from FEMA’s records: 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Union isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Boone County.The storms Union remembers
None of the 9 disasters declared for Boone County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Union itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19901 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Blizzard of 96, declared for Boone County
- 19971 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, Flooding, and Tornadoes, declared for Boone County
Boone County has had 9 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.
Old photos of Union after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Union archive →Union and its neighbors
Union is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Union | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
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 Union 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.
- 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 Union
Is Union at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Union has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #52 of 142 in Kentucky. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and tornadoes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Union flood?
Flood insurance has paid 5 claims in Union since 1990, $37K in all, or 1.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Union 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 Boone County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Union?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Union’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Union at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Union’s rate for it is lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Union.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Union’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.