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BHazard risk
Natural hazards in Bay Springs · FEMA

For tornadoes, Bay Springs’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bay Springs gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (32%), then tornadoes (32%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2005.

River and rain flooding 32%Tornadoes 32%Hurricanes 13%

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

less than 61%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B
in Mississippi · lower than 61% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
32% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1
paid since 2005 · $32K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 22 declared for Jasper County

What stands out about Bay Springs’ natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 61% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Made safer with FEMA grants25 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Bay Springs 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

32%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

32%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

13%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 8 years in the area

Hail

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Ice storms Cold waves top 2% Wildfire Lightning Winter storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Bay Springs’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.4%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Bay Springs’ grade

River and rain flooding is 32% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bay Springs, and Bay Springs’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 32%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bay Springs sits
Bay Springs
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Bay Springs’ residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding32%Tornadoes32%Hurricanes13%Everything else23%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $948K a year in losses across Bay Springs: $662K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Bay Springs covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bay Springs flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bay Springs, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2005
20052026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Katrina1 claim · $32K
1
paid claims since 2005
$32K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$32K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Bay Springs isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Jasper County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
25storm safe rooms built
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bay Springs

Disasters that paid out in Bay Springs itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Bay Springs), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2025Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes.32 households applied for aid$39K aid approved
  3. 2020Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding12 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  4. 2005Hurricane Katrina1,656 households applied for aid$2.2M aid approved$3.3M to the City of Bay Springs for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $32K
  5. 2004Hurricane Ivan$16K to the City of Bay Springs for repairs
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods1 households applied for aid$124 aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Bay SpringsJasper County only

Jasper County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Were you here?

Old photos of Bay Springs after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bay Springs archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bay Springs faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Bay Springs

Is Bay Springs at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bay Springs has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (32%) and tornadoes (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Bay Springs flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Bay Springs since 2005, $32K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Katrina (1).

Is Bay Springs 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 Jasper County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bay Springs?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bay Springs’ 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 Bay Springs?

By FEMA money that reached Bay Springs, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 1,656 households applied for aid, $2.2M approved, and $3.3M to the City of Bay Springs for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Katrina: 1 paid, $32K.

Is Bay Springs at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (32%), and Bay Springs’ rate for it is lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bay Springs.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bay Springs’ 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.