Itta Bena’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Itta Bena comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1980. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Itta Bena’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Itta Bena flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Itta Bena, from FEMA’s records.
- Tropical Storm Isidore1 claim · $4K
Itta Bena 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.How exposed is Itta Bena?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 69% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.
Rated higher than 310 of the 426 Mississippi towns we cover.
Itta Bena is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
What Itta Bena faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
Drought
Cold waves
5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Itta Bena
Disasters that paid out in Itta Bena itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Itta Bena) and its biggest flood years.
- 2026Severe Winter Storm892 households applied for aid$2.3M aid approved$281K to the City of Itta Bena for repairs
- 2025Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding7 households applied for aid$34K aid approved
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Associated Flooding1 household applied for aid$148 aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina$22K to the City of Itta Bena for repairs
- 1998Severe Winter Storms, Ice and Freezing Rain$36K to the City of Itta Bena for repairs
Leflore County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Old photos of Itta Bena after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Itta Bena archive →Get ready for what Itta Bena 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in February–April
The month each of Leflore County’s 21 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 Itta Bena’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Itta Bena.
- 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.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Itta Bena.
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.