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ClarkeCountyMSCourthousePhoto: DanielPenfield · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Quitman · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Quitman faces more hazard damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Quitman gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then tornadoes (14%). Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 2005.

River and rain flooding 61%Tornadoes 14%Hurricanes 14%

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 78%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Mississippi · higher than 78% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
61% of expected building damage
Flood claims
7
paid since 2005 · $198K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
6
of 20 declared for Clarke County
By hazard

What Quitman 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

61%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Strong wind Hail Ice storms Cold waves top 2% Lightning Winter storms Wildfire 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 9% of Quitman’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 Quitman’s grade

River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Quitman, and Quitman’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 14%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Quitman sits
Quitman
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding61%Tornadoes14%Hurricanes14%Everything else11%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Quitman: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Quitman’s 2,061 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 Quitman flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 2005

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Quitman, from FEMA’s records: 6.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 3 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200520182023
20052026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Isaac1 claim · $15K
7
paid claims since 2005
$198K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$28K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Clarke County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
10storm safe rooms built
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Quitman

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

  1. 2020Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding60 households applied for aid$91K aid approved
  2. 2012Hurricane Isaac142 households applied for aid$62K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $15K
  3. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Associated Flooding29 households applied for aid$49K aid approved
  4. 2005Hurricane Katrina1,931 households applied for aid$1.6M aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2004Hurricane Ivan127 households applied for aid$65K aid approved
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods2 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in QuitmanClarke County only

Clarke County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Quitman archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Quitman 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Quitman

Is Quitman at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Quitman has higher expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and tornadoes (14%). 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 Quitman flood?

Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Quitman since 2005, $198K in all, or 6.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Isaac (1).

Is Quitman 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 Clarke County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Quitman?

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

By FEMA money that reached Quitman, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 1,931 households applied for aid, $1.6M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Isaac: 1 paid, $15K.

Is Quitman at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Quitman’s rate for it is higher than 73% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Quitman.

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