Letcher, KY
Letcher County in Kentucky has 15 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 B (Moderate risk), ranking #89 of 3,277 U.S. counties, with 22 NFIP flood insurance claims totaling $565,173 in payouts. Flood risk is relatively low compared to the national average.
FEMA Disaster Declarations in Letcher County
The 15 most recent federally declared disasters affecting Letcher County, KY (1967–2023). Total declarations on record: 15.
| Declared | Incident Type | Title | FEMA Disaster # |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2023 | Flood | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | DR-4711 |
| Jul 29, 2022 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | DR-4663 |
| 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 |
| Oct 30, 1989 | Flood | Severe Storms, Mudslides & Flooding | DR-846 |
| Jun 30, 1989 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-834 |
| Feb 24, 1989 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-821 |
| Sep 29, 1982 | Flood | Flash Flooding | DR-670 |
| Apr 6, 1977 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-529 |
| May 24, 1975 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | DR-468 |
| May 15, 1972 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding | DR-332 |
| 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 23 is calculated from four weighted factors. See our methodology for details.
Other Counties in Kentucky
| County | Grade | Score | Claims | Disasters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pike | B | 24 | 99 | 16 |
| Floyd | B | 22 | 91 | 13 |
| Perry | B | 22 | 23 | 12 |
| Martin | A | 20 | 19 | 10 |
| Powell | A | 18 | 7 | 9 |
| Woodford | A | 18 | 27 | 5 |
More Counties in Kentucky
Frequently Asked Questions
How many FEMA disaster declarations does Letcher County, KY have?
Letcher County, KY has 15 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 Jul 29, 2022, DR-4663); 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). Counts include flood, severe storm, hurricane, and coastal storm declarations from the OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries dataset.
What is the flood risk grade for Letcher County, KY?
Letcher County is graded B (composite score 23/100, moderate risk). It ranks #89 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 Letcher County?
22 NFIP flood insurance claims have been filed in Letcher County, KY, totaling $565,173 in payouts. The average claim is $25,690. Source: FEMA FimaNfipClaims v2 dataset.
Has Letcher County, KY had any recent flood disasters?
Yes. The most recent FEMA declaration affecting Letcher County was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides on May 9, 2023 (DR-4711). The county has 15 declared disasters in the OpenFEMA record covering 1967–2023.
this entity is one of the data points covered by this site’s U.S. flood risk, NFIP claims, and disaster declarations dataset. The detail above comes directly from FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims; the context that follows situates the headline numbers against the broader distribution across U.S. ZIPs, counties, and states.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the FEMA OpenFEMA datasets including the National Flood Hazard Layer and NFIP claims portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
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.