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Watertower Horn Lake MS 02Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Horn Lake · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Horn Lake than in 61% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Horn Lake gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #45 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then earthquakes (32%). Flood insurance has paid 78 claims here since 1978.

River and rain flooding 51%Earthquakes 32%Tornadoes 15%

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 61%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#45 of 101 in Mississippi
Hazard risk
C+#45 of 101
in Mississippi · higher than 61% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
51% of expected building damage
Flood claims
78
paid since 1978 · $1.7M
Flooded more than once
13
properties · 3 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
3
of 12 declared for DeSoto County

What stands out about Horn Lake’s natural hazards

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

Made safer with FEMA grants9 storm safe rooms built; 1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 201419 flood claims were paid for 2014 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Horn Lake 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

51%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

32%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts

Tornadoes

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Cold waves top 4% Hurricanes Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Lightning Hail Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 13% of Horn Lake’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.2%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Horn Lake’s grade

River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Horn Lake, and Horn Lake’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 15%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Horn Lake sits
Horn Lake
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #45 of 101 in Mississippi; higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Horn Lake’s residents live in 9 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding51%Earthquakes32%Tornadoes15%Everything else2%

The typical Mississippi town has higher expected damage than 64% of U.S. towns; within the state, Horn Lake has less expected damage per building than 56% of Mississippi towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $10.1M a year in losses across Horn Lake: $4.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Winter Storm in 2026, FEMA took 1,541 aid registrations from Horn Lake addresses (the town has 10,987 homes).
A firm figure. It combines 9 census tracts by where Horn Lake’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Horn Lake flood? Sometimes: 78 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Horn Lake, from FEMA’s records: 7.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 2 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 2 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 1 claim1989: 0 claims1990: 1 claim1991: 1 claim1992: 11 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 3 claims1998: 1 claim1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 4 claims2002: 2 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 6 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 14 claims2014: 19 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 2 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199220132014
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-spring storms6 claims · $130K
  • The Late winter severe storms1 claim · $29K
  • Hurricane Isaac1 claim · $29K
78
paid claims since 1978
$1.7M
paid to owners
13
homes flooded more than once
$22K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (3)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Horn Lake 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.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
9storm safe rooms built
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Horn Lake

Disasters that paid out in Horn Lake itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Horn Lake), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2026Severe Winter Storm1,541 households applied for aid$1.8M aid approved$7K to the City of Horn Lake for repairs
  2. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Associated Flooding21 households applied for aid$413 aid approved$7K to the City of Horn Lake for repairs6 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2005Hurricane Katrina$21K to the City of Horn Lake for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Horn LakeDeSoto County only

DeSoto County has had 12 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Horn Lake archive →
Next door

Horn Lake and its neighbors

Horn Lake is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Southaven: hazard risk C+Lynchburg: hazard risk BSouthavenLynchburgHorn Lake
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
LynchburgBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding—
SouthavenC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding82
Horn LakeC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding78

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Horn Lake faces

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

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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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 Horn Lake

Is Horn Lake at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Horn Lake has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #45 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and earthquakes (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Horn Lake flood?

Flood insurance has paid 78 claims in Horn Lake since 1978, $1.7M in all, or 7.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 67% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 13 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-spring storms (6).

Is Horn Lake 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 Horn Lake?

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

By FEMA money that reached Horn Lake, Severe Winter Storm (2026): 1,541 households applied for aid, $1.8M approved, and $7K to the City of Horn Lake for repairs. By flood claims, Mid-spring storms: 6 paid, $130K.

Is Horn Lake at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Horn Lake’s rate for it is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Horn Lake.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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