Photo: Todd Johnson · CC BY-SA 4.0White Hall’s building-damage rate from ice storms is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, White Hall gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #12 of 123 in Arkansas. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%), then earthquakes (23%). Flood insurance has paid 9 claims here since 1997.
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 White Hall 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
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Ice storms
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 White Hall’s grade
River and rain flooding is 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in White Hall, and White Hall’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 15%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #12 of 123 in Arkansas; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
White Hall’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Arkansas town has higher expected damage than 73% of U.S. towns; within the state, White Hall has less expected damage per building than 91% of Arkansas towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across White Hall: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does White Hall flood? Rarely: 9 flood claims since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in White Hall, from FEMA’s records: 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $2K
White Hall isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to White Hall
Disasters that paid out in White Hall itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of White Hall), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds$52K to the City of White Hall for repairs
- 2019Severe Storms and Flooding73 households applied for aid$484K aid approved
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding23 households applied for aid$34K aid approved
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding47 households applied for aid$163K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Associated Flooding24 households applied for aid$7K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding$20K to the City of White Hall for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Show all 8
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding12 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
- 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$45K to the City of White Hall for repairs
Jefferson County has had 20 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 White Hall after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the White Hall archive →White Hall and its neighbors
White Hall has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Hall | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Pine Bluff | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 207 |
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 White Hall 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- 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 White Hall
Is White Hall at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, White Hall has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #12 of 123 in Arkansas. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (46%) and earthquakes (23%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does White Hall flood?
Flood insurance has paid 9 claims in White Hall since 1997, $90K in all, or 3.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).
Is White Hall 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 Jefferson County, 12% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in White Hall?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for White Hall’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in White Hall?
By FEMA money that reached White Hall, Severe Storms and Flooding (2019): 73 households applied for aid, $484K approved. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $2K.
Is White Hall at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and White Hall’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in White Hall.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where White Hall’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.