Photo: Ed!(Hall of Fame) · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Kenwood’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kenwood gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #115 of 993 in Ohio. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%), then tornadoes (24%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1985.
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 Kenwood 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
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 Kenwood’s grade
River and rain flooding is 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kenwood, and Kenwood’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 24% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).
A #115 of 993 in Ohio; lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kenwood’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Ohio town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kenwood has less expected damage per building than 89% of Ohio towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Kenwood: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kenwood flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kenwood, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Kenwood isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hamilton County.The storms Kenwood remembers
None of the 16 disasters declared for Hamilton County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kenwood itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19852 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20221 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Hamilton County has had 16 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Kenwood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kenwood archive →Kenwood and its neighbors
Kenwood is 2nd of the 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ash | A+less damage than 97% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Kenwood | Aless damage than 95% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Deer Park | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Silverton | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Sycamore Township | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Montgomery | Aless damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 7 |
| Madeira | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Rossmoyne | Aless damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Columbia Township | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Concorde Hills | — | 762 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.
Get ready for what Kenwood 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.
- 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 Kenwood
Is Kenwood at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kenwood has lower expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #115 of 993 in Ohio. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (60%) and tornadoes (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kenwood flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Kenwood since 1985, $6K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Kenwood 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 Hamilton County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kenwood?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kenwood’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Kenwood at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Kenwood’s rate for it is lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kenwood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kenwood’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.