Mississippi Mills Packing and Shipping Rooms · Photo: Forrest Lamar Cooper · Public domainWesson’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wesson gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then tornadoes (19%). 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 Wesson 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
Hail
Hurricanes
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 Wesson’s grade
River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wesson, and Wesson’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 19%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wesson’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $784K a year in losses across Wesson: $436K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wesson flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Wesson. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Wesson isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Copiah County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wesson
Disasters that paid out in Wesson itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Wesson), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding39 households applied for aid$82K aid approved
- 2012Hurricane Isaac131 households applied for aid$51K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina1,488 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods189 households applied for aid$300K aid approved
Copiah County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Old photos of Wesson after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wesson archive →Wesson and its neighbors
Wesson has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wesson | B−more damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Beauregard | — | 419 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Wesson 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Wesson
Is Wesson at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wesson has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and tornadoes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Wesson 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 Copiah County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wesson?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wesson’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 Wesson?
By FEMA money that reached Wesson, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 1,488 households applied for aid, $1.1M approved.
Is Wesson at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Wesson’s rate for it is lower than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wesson.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wesson’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.