Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Brookport
Brookport isn’t graded for hazard risk: Brookport has 733 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2011.
What Brookport faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Strong wind
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.
Does Brookport flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Brookport, from FEMA’s records.
- The Mid-spring storms1 claim · $20K
Brookport isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Massac County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Brookport
Disasters that paid out in Brookport itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Brookport), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2013Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes249 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding72 households applied for aid$280K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Massac County has had 9 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 Brookport after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brookport archive →Get ready for what Brookport faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Brookport
Does Brookport flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Brookport since 2011, $37K in all. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (1).
Is Brookport 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 Massac County, 2.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Brookport?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brookport’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 Brookport?
By FEMA money that reached Brookport, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes (2013): 249 households applied for aid, $1.2M approved. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 1 paid, $20K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brookport.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brookport’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.