–Not graded

Natural hazards in Kennedy · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Kennedy

Kennedy isn’t graded for hazard risk: Kennedy has 170 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1979.

Flood claims

paid since 1979 · $55K

Disasters paid out here

of 25 declared for Kittson County

By hazard

What Kennedy 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

86%of expected building damage

Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

5%of expected building damage

Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

Smaller shares here

Ice storms top 4% Hail Winter storms top 0% Strong wind Wildfire Lightning Earthquakes Cold waves Heat waves Landslides

FEMA models no building damage here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 19% of Kennedy’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Kennedy flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kennedy, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year

197919961997

19792026

paid claims since 1979

$55K

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$5K

average claim

of homes in flood zones are insured

of all homes are insured

No community discount

Kennedy isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Kittson County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

5flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters

The storms Kennedy remembers

None of the 25 disasters declared for Kittson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kennedy itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

19977 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Flooding, High Winds,severe Storms, declared for Kittson County
19793 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms and Flooding, declared for Kittson County
19961 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding and Severe Storms, declared for Kittson County

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in KennedyKittson County only

Kittson County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Kennedy after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Kennedy archive →

Next door

Kennedy and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Tegner TownshipSkane TownshipKennedy

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth

Town	Hazard risk	Mostly (buildings)	Flood claims
Tegner Township	—	33 residents; we grade 1,000+
Skane Township	—	83 residents; we grade 1,000+

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Kennedy faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises

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.

Questions about natural hazards in Kennedy

Does Kennedy flood?

Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Kennedy since 1979, $55K in all.

Is Kennedy 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 Kittson County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Kennedy?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kennedy’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kennedy.

Town Square →

Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kennedy’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.

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