Escatawpa’s biggest natural hazard is hurricanes
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Escatawpa comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 27 claims here since 1998. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Escatawpa’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Escatawpa?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 94% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.
Rated higher than 420 of the 426 Mississippi towns we cover.
Escatawpa covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
What Escatawpa faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Does Escatawpa flood? Sometimes: 27 flood claims since 1998
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Escatawpa, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Katrina8 claims · $414K
- Hurricane Isaac4 claims · $99K
- Hurricane Ida4 claims · $30K
Escatawpa 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Escatawpa
Disasters that paid out in Escatawpa itself (aid to households or repair grants to Escatawpa) and its biggest flood years.
- 2021Hurricane Ida1 household applied for aid5 flood claims paid that year
- 2020Hurricane Zeta2 households applied for aid
- 2012Hurricane Isaac12 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina361 households applied for aid$2.7M aid approved8 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Hurricane Ivan30 households applied for aid$56K aid approved
Jackson County has had 26 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Old photos of Escatawpa after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Escatawpa archive →Get ready for what Escatawpa actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Escatawpa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escatawpa | Very high | hurricanes | 27 |
| Moss Point | Very high | hurricanes | 1,036 |
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 August–October
The month each of Jackson County’s 26 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 Escatawpa’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Escatawpa.
- 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 Escatawpa, expected losses total about $3.5M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Escatawpa.
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.