Photo: Magnolia677 · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts Sardis’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 61% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sardis gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (45%), then river and rain flooding (37%). 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 Sardis faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
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 Sardis’ grade
Earthquakes are 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sardis, and Sardis’ rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 13%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sardis’ residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $906K a year in losses across Sardis: $366K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sardis flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sardis. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Sardis isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Panola County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sardis
Disasters that paid out in Sardis itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Sardis), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Winter Storm1,241 households applied for aid$3.5M aid approved$101K to the Town of Sardis for repairs
- 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes224 households applied for aid$171K aid approved
- 2020Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding44 households applied for aid$53K aid approved
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding9 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Associated Flooding106 households applied for aid$86K aid approved
Show all 7
- 2005Hurricane Katrina$78K to the Town of Sardis for repairs
Panola County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of Sardis after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sardis archive →Get ready for what Sardis faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 Sardis
Is Sardis at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sardis has higher expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (45%) and river and rain flooding (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Sardis 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 Panola County, 14% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sardis?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sardis’ 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 Sardis?
By FEMA money that reached Sardis, Severe Winter Storm (2026): 1,241 households applied for aid, $3.5M approved, and $101K to the Town of Sardis for repairs.
Is Sardis at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Sardis’ rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sardis.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sardis’ 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.