Photo: Nyttend · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Wurtland
Wurtland isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Wurtland yet. Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1978.
What Wurtland 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.
Does Wurtland flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wurtland, from FEMA’s records.
Wurtland isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Greenup County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wurtland
Disasters that paid out in Wurtland itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Wurtland), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$5K to the City of Wurtland for repairs
- 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, and Mudslides8 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
- 2015Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides$13K to the City of Wurtland for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, and Mudslides3 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Rock Slides, and Tornadoes3 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2003Severe Winter Ice and Snow Storms, Heavy Rain, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Mud and5 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Greenup County has had 27 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 Wurtland after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wurtland archive →Wurtland and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raceland | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Worthington | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Greenup | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 59 |
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 Wurtland 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 Wurtland
Does Wurtland flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in Wurtland since 1978, $102K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Wurtland 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 Greenup County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wurtland?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wurtland’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 Wurtland?
By FEMA money that reached Wurtland, Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2015): $13K to the City of Wurtland for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wurtland.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wurtland’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.