Photo: Skye Marthaler · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Burnsville
Burnsville isn’t graded for hazard risk: Burnsville has 861 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1984.
What Burnsville 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.
Does Burnsville flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Burnsville, from FEMA’s records.
Burnsville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tishomingo County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Burnsville
Disasters that paid out in Burnsville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Burnsville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Winter Storm143 households applied for aid$239K aid approved$488K to the Town of Burnsville for repairs
- 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding$9K to the Town of Burnsville for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Associated Flooding4 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding8 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$35K to the Town of Burnsville for repairs
Tishomingo County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms.
Old photos of Burnsville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Burnsville archive →Get ready for what Burnsville 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 Burnsville
Does Burnsville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Burnsville since 1984, $12K in all.
Is Burnsville 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 Tishomingo County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Burnsville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Burnsville’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 Burnsville?
By FEMA money that reached Burnsville, Severe Winter Storm (2026): 143 households applied for aid, $239K approved, and $488K to the Town of Burnsville for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Burnsville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Burnsville’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.