Stone, John M., Cotton Mill · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0For tornadoes, Starkville’s building-damage rate is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Starkville gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns, #14 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1979.
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 Starkville’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Starkville 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
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 Starkville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Starkville, and Starkville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 20%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #14 of 101 in Mississippi; lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Starkville’s residents live in 12 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, Starkville has less expected damage per building than 87% of Mississippi towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.2M a year in losses across Starkville: $5.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Starkville flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Starkville, from FEMA’s records: 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Starkville is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Oktibbeha County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Starkville
Disasters that paid out in Starkville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Starkville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding68 households applied for aid$154K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina1,300 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved
- 2002Severe Storms and Tornadoes47 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
Oktibbeha County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of Starkville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Starkville archive →Starkville and its neighbors
Starkville 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Starkville | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 20 |
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 Starkville 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- Starkville residents get 10% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Starkville
Is Starkville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Starkville has lower expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #14 of 101 in Mississippi. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and tornadoes (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Starkville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Starkville since 1979, $612K in all, or 1.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Starkville 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 Oktibbeha County, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Starkville?
Starkville 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 Starkville?
By FEMA money that reached Starkville, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 1,300 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved.
Is Starkville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Starkville’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Starkville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Starkville’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.