Photo: Amin Eshaiker · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Kiln’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kiln gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (54%), then river and rain flooding (35%). 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 Kiln faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
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 Kiln’s grade
Hurricanes are 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kiln, and Kiln’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 5%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kiln’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Kiln: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kiln flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Kiln. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Kiln isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hancock County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kiln
Disasters that paid out in Kiln itself (aid to households or repair grants to Kiln), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Tropical Storm Arthur103 households applied for aid$402K aid approved
- 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding132 households applied for aid$229K aid approved
- 2021Hurricane Ida59 households applied for aid$144K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Zeta192 households applied for aid$311K aid approved
- 2012Hurricane Isaac303 households applied for aid$169K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Gustav86 households applied for aid$120K aid approved
Show all 8
- 2005Hurricane Katrina3,110 households applied for aid$15.1M aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan7 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Hancock County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Old photos of Kiln after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kiln archive →Get ready for what Kiln faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Kiln
Is Kiln at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kiln has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (54%) and river and rain flooding (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Kiln 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 Hancock County, 64% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 33.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kiln?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kiln’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 Kiln?
By FEMA money that reached Kiln, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 3,110 households applied for aid, $15.1M approved.
Is Kiln at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Kiln’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kiln.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kiln’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.