Photo: Marduk · Public domainFor strong wind, Carthage’s building-damage rate is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carthage gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #22 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%), then tornadoes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Carthage’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Carthage 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
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
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 Carthage’s grade
River and rain flooding is 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carthage, and Carthage’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 15%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #22 of 101 in Mississippi; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Carthage’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Mississippi town has higher expected damage than 64% of U.S. towns; within the state, Carthage has less expected damage per building than 79% of Mississippi towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Carthage: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Carthage flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Carthage, from FEMA’s records: 12.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Carthage isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Leake County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Carthage
Disasters that paid out in Carthage itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Carthage), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Winter Storm5 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding1 households applied for aid$300 aid approved
- 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding22 households applied for aid$112K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina1,455 households applied for aid$548K aid approved$82K to the City of Carthage for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods7 households applied for aid$44K aid approved
Leake County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of Carthage after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Carthage archive →Carthage and its neighbors
Carthage has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
| Redwater | — | 637 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Carthage 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Carthage
Is Carthage at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carthage has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #22 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%) and tornadoes (15%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Carthage flood?
Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Carthage since 1979, $233K in all, or 12.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 78% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Carthage 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 Leake County, 17% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Carthage?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Carthage’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 Carthage?
By FEMA money that reached Carthage, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 1,455 households applied for aid, $548K approved, and $82K to the City of Carthage for repairs.
Is Carthage at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Carthage’s rate for it is lower than 66% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carthage.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Carthage’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.