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CHazard risk
Natural hazards in Ridgeland · FEMA

FEMA puts Ridgeland’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ridgeland gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #59 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then tornadoes (22%). Flood insurance has paid 48 claims here since 1983.

River and rain flooding 64%Tornadoes 22%Hurricanes 4%

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 71%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#59 of 101 in Mississippi
Hazard risk
C#59 of 101
in Mississippi · higher than 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
64% of expected building damage
Flood claims
48
paid since 1983 · $1.0M
Flooded more than once
10
properties · 3 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
10% off
Community discount (class 8)

What stands out about Ridgeland’s natural hazards

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

10% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Ridgeland residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8).Made safer with FEMA grants6 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.Remembers 19976 flood claims were paid for 1997 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Ridgeland 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

64%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

22%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Hail Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Lightning top 1% Cold waves top 2% 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 11% of Ridgeland’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 Ridgeland’s grade

River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ridgeland, and Ridgeland’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 22%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Ridgeland sits
Ridgeland
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C #59 of 101 in Mississippi; higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Ridgeland’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 flooding64%Tornadoes22%Hurricanes4%Everything else11%

The typical Mississippi town has higher expected damage than 64% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ridgeland has more expected damage per building than 58% of Mississippi towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.2M a year in losses across Ridgeland: $9.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A firm figure. It combines 9 census tracts by where Ridgeland’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 Ridgeland flood? Sometimes: 48 flood claims since 1983

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ridgeland, from FEMA’s records: 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 1 claim1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 4 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 6 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 6 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 6 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 2 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 2 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 6 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 2 claims2020: 6 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199720002003
19832026
48
paid claims since 1983
$1.0M
paid to owners
10
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
Community discount10% off flood insurance

Ridgeland is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Madison County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
6storm safe rooms built
Disasters

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ridgeland

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

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding306 households applied for aid$192K aid approved
  2. 2005Hurricane Katrina1,438 households applied for aid$664K aid approved
  3. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods56 households applied for aid$151K aid approved6 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RidgelandMadison County only

Madison County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Ridgeland archive →
Next door

Ridgeland and its neighbors

Ridgeland is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Madison: hazard risk C+Jackson: hazard risk DMadisonJacksonRidgeland
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MadisonC+more damage than 63%river and rain flooding88
RidgelandCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding48
JacksonDmore damage than 90%river and rain flooding3,342

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 Ridgeland 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 ↗
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.
  • Ridgeland residents get 10% off flood insurance.
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 Ridgeland

Is Ridgeland at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ridgeland has higher expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #59 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and tornadoes (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Ridgeland flood?

Flood insurance has paid 48 claims in Ridgeland since 1983, $1.0M in all, or 4.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 55% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 10 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Ridgeland 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 Madison County, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Ridgeland?

Ridgeland is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Ridgeland?

By FEMA money that reached Ridgeland, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 1,438 households applied for aid, $664K approved.

Is Ridgeland at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Ridgeland’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ridgeland.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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