Photo: An Errant Knight · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Kamas than in 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kamas gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%), then wildfire (29%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1986.
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 Kamas 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
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 Kamas’ grade
River and rain flooding is 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kamas, and Kamas’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 29%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C− higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Kamas’ residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.4M a year in losses across Kamas: $845K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kamas flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1986
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kamas, from FEMA’s records: 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Kamas isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Summit County.The storms Kamas remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Summit County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Kamas itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19861 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Summit County has had 4 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.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Summit County, 2013–2026.
Old photos of Kamas after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kamas archive →Kamas and its neighbors
Kamas has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kamas | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Marion | — | 830 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 Kamas 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.
- 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 Kamas
Is Kamas at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kamas has higher expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (66%) and wildfire (29%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kamas flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Kamas since 1986, $1K in all, or 1.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 68% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Kamas 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 Summit County, 9% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kamas?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kamas’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Kamas at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Kamas’ rate for it is higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kamas.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kamas’ 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.