Bridgetown’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bridgetown gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns, #25 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then earthquakes (26%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Bridgetown 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
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 Bridgetown’s grade
River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bridgetown, and Bridgetown’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 17%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #25 of 101 in Mississippi; lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bridgetown’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Mississippi town has higher expected damage than 64% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bridgetown has less expected damage per building than 76% of Mississippi towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $908K a year in losses across Bridgetown: $446K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bridgetown flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bridgetown. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bridgetown isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: DeSoto County.The storms Bridgetown remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for DeSoto County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bridgetown itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
DeSoto County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Bridgetown and its neighbors
Bridgetown has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgetown | B−less damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Southaven | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 82 |
| Olive Branch | C+more damage than 63% | river and rain flooding | 22 |
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 Bridgetown 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.
- 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 Bridgetown
Is Bridgetown at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bridgetown has lower expected damage per building than 50% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #25 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and earthquakes (26%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Bridgetown 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 DeSoto County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bridgetown?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bridgetown’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Bridgetown at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Bridgetown’s rate for it is lower than 62% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bridgetown.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bridgetown’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.