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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Kirkwood · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Kirkwood

Kirkwood isn’t graded for hazard risk: Kirkwood has 307 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2004.

Flood claims
1
paid since 2004 · $3K
Disasters paid out here
0
of 18 declared for Lancaster County
By hazard

What Kirkwood 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

81%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

12%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 13 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Hail Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts hurricanes at 27% of Kirkwood’s expected losses. Hurricanes do little damage to buildings (11.6%), 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 Kirkwood flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2004

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

Paid flood claims, by year
2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2004
20042026
1
paid claims since 2004
$3K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$3K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lancaster County.
Disasters

The storms Kirkwood remembers

None of the 18 disasters declared for Lancaster County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kirkwood itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20041 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Depression Ivan, declared for Lancaster County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KirkwoodLancaster County only

Lancaster County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Kirkwood archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Kirkwood 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Kirkwood

Does Kirkwood flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Kirkwood since 2004, $3K in all.

Is Kirkwood 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 Lancaster County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Kirkwood?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kirkwood’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 Kirkwood.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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