Bell, KY
Bell County in Kentucky has 10 FEMA disaster declarations on record covering 1967–2023, most recently Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides on May 9, 2023 (DR-4711). Its flood risk grade is A (Low risk), ranking #1865 of 3,277 U.S. counties, with 6 NFIP flood insurance claims totaling $23,386 in payouts. Flood risk is relatively low compared to the national average.
FEMA Disaster Declarations in Bell County
The 10 most recent federally declared disasters affecting Bell County, KY (1967–2023). Total declarations on record: 10.
| Declared | Incident Type | Title | FEMA Disaster # |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2023 | Flood | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | DR-4711 |
| Apr 23, 2021 | Flood | Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | DR-4595 |
| Apr 12, 2018 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | DR-4358 |
| May 12, 2015 | Flood | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | DR-4218 |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina | DR-3231 |
| Jun 30, 1989 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-834 |
| Apr 6, 1977 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-529 |
| Mar 29, 1975 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-461 |
| Feb 2, 1970 | Flood | Heavy Snowmelt, Rains & Flooding | DR-282 |
| Mar 27, 1967 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-226 |
Score Breakdown
The composite score of 10 is calculated from four weighted factors. See our methodology for details.
Other Counties in Kentucky
| County | Grade | Score | Claims | Disasters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | A | 10 | 0 | 4 |
| Johnson | A | 10 | 22 | 12 |
| Ballard | A | 10 | 1 | 5 |
| Calloway | A | 10 | 0 | 4 |
| Graves | A | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Ohio | A | 10 | 0 | 5 |
More Counties in Kentucky
Frequently Asked Questions
How many FEMA disaster declarations does Bell County, KY have?
Bell County, KY has 10 federal disaster declarations on FEMA record (1967–2023). The 5 most recent are: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (declared May 9, 2023, DR-4711); Severe, Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (declared Apr 23, 2021, DR-4595); Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (declared Apr 12, 2018, DR-4358); Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (declared May 12, 2015, DR-4218); Hurricane Katrina (declared Sep 10, 2005, DR-3231). Counts include flood, severe storm, hurricane, and coastal storm declarations from the OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries dataset.
What is the flood risk grade for Bell County, KY?
Bell County is graded A (composite score 10/100, low risk). It ranks #1865 of 3,277 U.S. counties for flood risk in our scoring model. The grade combines NFIP claims density (40%), disaster frequency (25%), claim severity (20%), and year-over-year trend (15%).
How many NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in Bell County?
6 NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in Bell County, KY, totaling $23,386 in payouts. The average claim is $3,898. Source: FEMA FimaNfipClaims v2 dataset.
Has Bell County, KY had any recent flood disasters?
Yes. The most recent FEMA declaration affecting Bell County was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides on May 9, 2023 (DR-4711). The county has 10 declared disasters in the OpenFEMA record covering 1967–2023.
The this entity record above pulls directly from FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. flood risk, NFIP claims, and disaster declarations distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
Every number on this page links back to FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. ZIPs, counties, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA datasets, 2026.