Canton’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Canton comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 400 claims here since 1979. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Canton’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Canton flood? Yes: 400 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Canton, from FEMA’s records.
- The Late winter severe storms6 claims · $223K
Canton isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Madison County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Canton
Disasters that paid out in Canton itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Canton) and its biggest flood years.
- 2026Severe Winter Storm19 households applied for aid
- 2024Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding907 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved
- 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding42 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina2,839 households applied for aid$1.7M aid approved$464K to the City of Canton for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods283 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved$15K to the City of Canton for repairs20 flood claims paid that year
- 198734 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Show all 8
- 198379 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 198238 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Madison County has had 20 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Old photos of Canton after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Canton archive →How exposed is Canton?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 53% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.
Calmer than 267 of the 426 Mississippi towns we cover.
Canton covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
What Canton faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Cold waves
Heat waves
Earthquakes
Get ready for what Canton actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- Let faucets drip so pipes don’t freeze.
- Know where your water shutoff is.
- Never heat the house with the oven or a grill.
- 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.
Canton and its neighbors
How storm and flood risk compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canton | Moderate | inland flooding | 400 |
| Gluckstadt | Low | tornadoes | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in February–April
The month each of Madison County’s 20 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.
- Compared by rate. “Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Canton’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Canton.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Canton, expected losses total about $2.9M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Canton.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.