Photo: Roastedbeanz1 · CC BY 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in St. Martin than in 93% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Martin gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns, #84 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (61%), then river and rain flooding (28%). Flood insurance has paid 76 claims here since 2005.
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 stands out about St. Martin’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What St. Martin faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
Coastal flooding
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 St. Martin’s grade
Hurricanes are 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Martin, and St. Martin’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 6%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D #84 of 101 in Mississippi; higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns (21,298).
St. Martin’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Mississippi town has higher expected damage than 64% of U.S. towns; within the state, St. Martin has more expected damage per building than 83% of Mississippi towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.9M a year in losses across St. Martin: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does St. Martin flood? Sometimes: 76 flood claims since 2005
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Martin, from FEMA’s records: 23.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Zeta48 claims · $1.7M
- Hurricane Katrina13 claims · $1.9M
- The 2026-06-Arthur-TS2 claims · $170K
St. Martin isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jackson County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to St. Martin
Disasters that paid out in St. Martin itself (aid to households or repair grants to St. Martin), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2005Hurricane Katrina3 households applied for aid$15K aid approved13 flood claims paid for it, $1.9M
Jackson County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Old photos of St. Martin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the St. Martin archive →St. Martin and its neighbors
St. Martin is 2nd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biloxi | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 2,496 |
| St. Martin | Dmore damage than 93% | hurricanes | 76 |
| D'Iberville | Dmore damage than 94% | hurricanes | 96 |
| Latimer | Dmore damage than 94% | hurricanes | 12 |
| Ocean Springs | Dmore damage than 95% | hurricanes | 860 |
| Gulf Hills | Dmore damage than 95% | hurricanes | 33 |
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 St. Martin faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 St. Martin
Is St. Martin at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Martin has higher expected damage per building than 93% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #84 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (61%) and river and rain flooding (28%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does St. Martin flood?
Flood insurance has paid 76 claims in St. Martin since 2005, $4.0M in all, or 23.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Zeta (48).
Is St. Martin 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 Jackson County, 55% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 18.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in St. Martin?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Martin’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 St. Martin?
By FEMA money that reached St. Martin, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 3 households applied for aid, $15K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Zeta: 48 paid, $1.7M.
Is St. Martin at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and St. Martin’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Martin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. Martin’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.