Natural hazards · Sumner

Sumner, MS natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sumner comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Sumner?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Sumner to be higher than in 64% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and earthquakes.

Inland flooding26%Earthquakes19%Tornadoes17%Strong wind10%Drought10%Cold waves8%Everything else12%

By hazard

What Sumner faces

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

Inland flooding

26% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Earthquakes

19% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

17% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 92% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 12 years in the area

Strong wind

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 85% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Drought

10% of expected damage

Recorded about 12 times a year in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherWildfireLandslidesLightning

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 Sumner flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Sumner.

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Tallahatchie County.

Disasters that hit Sumner

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SumnerDeclared for Tallahatchie County only

2026

Severe Winter Storm

56 households applied for aid $177K aid approved

2020

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

$61K to the Town of Sumner for repairs

2016

Severe Storms and Flooding

18 households applied for aid $2K aid approved

2005

Hurricane Katrina

$4K to the Town of Sumner for repairs

Tallahatchie County has had 22 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. Sumner is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

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

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.