For hail, Pelahatchie’s building-damage rate is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pelahatchie gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (41%), then hail (22%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2017.
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 Pelahatchie 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
Hail
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
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 Pelahatchie’s grade
River and rain flooding is 41% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pelahatchie, and Pelahatchie’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 22%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pelahatchie’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $609K a year in losses across Pelahatchie: $385K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pelahatchie flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pelahatchie, from FEMA’s records: 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Pelahatchie isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rankin County.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pelahatchie
Disasters that paid out in Pelahatchie itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Pelahatchie), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Hurricane Katrina593 households applied for aid$447K aid approved$133K to the Town of Pelahatchie for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods9 households applied for aid$44K aid approved
Rankin County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Old photos of Pelahatchie after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pelahatchie archive →Pelahatchie and its neighbors
Pelahatchie is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morton | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Pelahatchie | C+more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
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 Pelahatchie 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Pelahatchie
Is Pelahatchie at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pelahatchie has higher expected damage per building than 55% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (41%) and hail (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pelahatchie flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Pelahatchie since 2017, $85K in all, or 3.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 51% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Pelahatchie 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 Rankin County, 33% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pelahatchie?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pelahatchie’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 Pelahatchie?
By FEMA money that reached Pelahatchie, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 593 households applied for aid, $447K approved, and $133K to the Town of Pelahatchie for repairs.
Is Pelahatchie at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (41%), and Pelahatchie’s rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pelahatchie.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pelahatchie’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.