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Tchula Mississippi Water towerPhoto: Chillin662 · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Tchula · FEMA

Tchula’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tchula gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%), then tornadoes (20%). Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1980.

River and rain flooding 54%Tornadoes 20%Earthquakes 10%

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 52%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
B−
in Mississippi · higher than 52% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
20
paid since 1980 · $95K
Flooded more than once
3
properties
Disasters paid out here
7
of 25 declared for Holmes County

What stands out about Tchula’s natural hazards

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

Made safer with FEMA grants4 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.Remembers 199111 flood claims were paid for 1991 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Tchula 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

54%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Tornadoes

20%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Earthquakes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Ice storms Cold waves top 1% Lightning Wildfire Winter storms 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 drought at 26% of Tchula’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Tchula’s grade

River and rain flooding is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tchula, and Tchula’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 20%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Tchula sits
Tchula
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B− higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding54%Tornadoes20%Earthquakes10%Everything else16%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.1M a year in losses across Tchula: $322K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Winter Storm in 2026, FEMA took 784 aid registrations from Tchula addresses (the town has 879 homes).
Shared tract.All of Tchula’s 1,652 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Cruger town (268 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Tchula flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tchula, from FEMA’s records: 22.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 4 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 11 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198019831991
19802026
20
paid claims since 1980
$95K
paid to owners
3
homes flooded more than once
$5K
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

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

Insurance rates: Holmes County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
4storm safe rooms built
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tchula

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

  1. 2026Severe Winter Storm784 households applied for aid$3.1M aid approved$17K to the Town of Tchula for repairs
  2. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Town of Tchula for repairs
  3. 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Associated Flooding8 households applied for aid$32K aid approved
  4. 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding19 households applied for aid$5K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2005Hurricane Katrina456 households applied for aid$455K aid approved$22K to the Town of Tchula for repairs
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods39 households applied for aid$53K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 7
  1. 2001Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding$36K to the Town of Tchula for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TchulaHolmes County only

Holmes County has had 25 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Tchula archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Tchula 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
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 Tchula

Is Tchula at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tchula has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (54%) and tornadoes (20%). 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 Tchula flood?

Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Tchula since 1980, $95K in all, or 22.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Tchula 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 Holmes County, 5% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Tchula?

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

By FEMA money that reached Tchula, Severe Winter Storm (2026): 784 households applied for aid, $3.1M approved, and $17K to the Town of Tchula for repairs.

Is Tchula at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Tchula’s rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tchula.

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