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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pearlington · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Pearlington faces more hazard damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pearlington gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (52%), then river and rain flooding (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hurricanes 52%River and rain flooding 20%Coastal flooding 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 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
52% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 23 declared for Hancock County

What stands out about Pearlington’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 14.6% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants75 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 4 buildings retrofitted against wind; 1 home raised above flood level with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Pearlington faces

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

Hurricanes

52%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

20%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Coastal flooding

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Wildfire

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% 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 Pearlington’s grade

Hurricanes are 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pearlington, and Pearlington’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 15%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Pearlington sits
Pearlington
Least damageMiddleMost damage

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

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes52%River and rain flooding20%Coastal flooding15%Everything else14%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Pearlington: $1.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Pearlington’s 1,153 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 Pearlington flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Pearlington. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Hancock County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
75flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
4buildings retrofitted against wind
1home raised above flood level
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pearlington

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

  1. 2026Tropical Storm Arthur9 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
  2. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  3. 2021Hurricane Ida56 households applied for aid$156K aid approved
  4. 2020Hurricane Zeta32 households applied for aid$109K aid approved
  5. 2012Hurricane Isaac260 households applied for aid$355K aid approved
  6. 2008Hurricane Gustav105 households applied for aid$235K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2005Hurricane Katrina1,111 households applied for aid$12.7M aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in PearlingtonHancock County only

Hancock County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Pearlington archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Pearlington 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 Pearlington

Is Pearlington at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pearlington has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (52%) and river and rain flooding (20%). 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.

Is Pearlington 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 Hancock County, 64% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 33.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Pearlington?

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

By FEMA money that reached Pearlington, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 1,111 households applied for aid, $12.7M approved.

Is Pearlington at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Pearlington’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pearlington.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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