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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in DeLisle · FEMA

FEMA puts DeLisle’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, DeLisle gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (55%), then river and rain flooding (25%). Flood insurance has paid 30 claims here since 2005.

Hurricanes 55%River and rain flooding 25%Coastal flooding 9%

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

more than 95%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Mississippi · higher than 95% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
55% of expected building damage
Flood claims
30
paid since 2005 · $1.1M
Flood claims per home
49 per 1,000
more than 92% of U.S. towns

What stands out about DeLisle’s natural hazards

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

Coastal flooding: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 8.9% of the damage it expects.Remembers 202015 flood claims were paid for 2020 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What DeLisle faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

55%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

25%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

7%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Earthquakes Ice storms Lightning Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 DeLisle’s grade

Hurricanes are 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in DeLisle, and DeLisle’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 9%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where DeLisle sits
DeLisle
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of DeLisle’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes55%River and rain flooding25%Coastal flooding9%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across DeLisle: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of DeLisle’s 1,275 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does DeLisle flood? Sometimes: 30 flood claims since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in DeLisle, from FEMA’s records: 49.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 11 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 2 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 15 claims2021: 2 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200520082020
20052026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Zeta15 claims · $60K
  • Hurricane Katrina7 claims · $481K
  • Hurricane Gustav2 claims · $67K
30
paid claims since 2005
$1.1M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$35K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Harrison County.
Disasters

The storms DeLisle remembers

None of the 27 disasters declared for Harrison County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching DeLisle itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 202015 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Zeta, declared for Harrison County
  2. 200511 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Katrina, declared for Harrison County
  3. 20082 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Gustav, declared for Harrison County
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DeLisleHarrison County only

Harrison County has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the DeLisle archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what DeLisle faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
When the tide surges
  • Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
  • Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
  • Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Wildfire
  • Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
  • Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
  • Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
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 DeLisle

Is DeLisle at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, DeLisle has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (55%) and river and rain flooding (25%). 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 DeLisle flood?

Flood insurance has paid 30 claims in DeLisle since 2005, $1.1M in all, or 49.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 92% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Zeta (15).

Is DeLisle 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 Harrison County, 62% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 14.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in DeLisle?

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

By flood claims, Hurricane Zeta: 15 paid, $60K.

Is DeLisle at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and DeLisle’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in DeLisle.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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