Photo: Ktkvtsh · CC BY 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Bolton
Bolton isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bolton has 597 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Bolton 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
Hail
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
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 Bolton flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bolton. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bolton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hinds County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bolton
Disasters that paid out in Bolton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bolton), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding187 households applied for aid$573K aid approved
- 2012Hurricane Isaac2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Associated Flooding5 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
- 2008Severe Storms and Tornadoes16 households applied for aid$31K aid approved$14K to the Town of Bolton for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Katrina672 households applied for aid$466K aid approved$4K to the Town of Bolton for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods23 households applied for aid$101K aid approved
Hinds County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of Bolton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bolton archive →Get ready for what Bolton 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Bolton
Is Bolton 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 Hinds County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bolton?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bolton’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 Bolton?
By FEMA money that reached Bolton, Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2024): 187 households applied for aid, $573K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bolton.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bolton’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.