Natural hazards · Greenwood

Greenwood, MS natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Greenwood comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 74 claims here since 1981. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Greenwood?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Greenwood to be higher than in 70% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding40%Tornadoes23%Earthquakes15%Cold waves7%Heat waves5%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Greenwood faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

40% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 73% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

23% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Earthquakes

15% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. places

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Heat waves

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Recorded about 17 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Greenwood flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Greenwood, from FEMA’s records.

74paid claims since 1981

$1.6Mpaid to owners

8homes flooded more than once

19812026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Katrina: 1 claim, $20K
Late winter severe storms: 1 claim, $17K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Greenwood isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Leflore County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

26storm safe rooms built

Disasters that hit Greenwood

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Greenwood itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Greenwood.

Brought FEMA money into GreenwoodDeclared for Leflore County only

2026

Severe Winter Storm

3,560 households applied for aid $6.7M aid approved $569K to the City of Greenwood for repairs

2025

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding

484 households applied for aid $2.2M aid approved

2020

Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides

$1.2M to the City of Greenwood for repairs

2011

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Associated Flooding

7 households applied for aid

2005

Hurricane Katrina

$141K to the City of Greenwood for repairs

1998

Severe Winter Storms, Ice and Freezing Rain

$278K to the City of Greenwood for repairs

Leflore County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’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 here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Greenwood covers 4 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Greenwood’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Greenwood. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Greenwood total about $9.2M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

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.