Pearl River’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pearl River gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #18 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (39%), then tornadoes (28%). 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 Pearl River 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
Hail
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 Pearl River’s grade
River and rain flooding is 39% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pearl River, and Pearl River’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 28%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #18 of 101 in Mississippi; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pearl River’s residents live in 2 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, Pearl River has less expected damage per building than 83% of Mississippi towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Pearl River: $997K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pearl River flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pearl River. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Pearl River isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Neshoba County.The storms Pearl River remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Neshoba County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pearl River itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Neshoba County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Pearl River and its neighbors
Pearl River has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearl River | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Philadelphia | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
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 Pearl River 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Pearl River
Is Pearl River at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pearl River has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #18 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (39%) and tornadoes (28%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Pearl River 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 Neshoba County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pearl River?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pearl River’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pearl River at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (39%), and Pearl River’s rate for it is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pearl River.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pearl River’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.