Natural hazards · Sunflower

Sunflower, MS natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sunflower comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. 3 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Sunflower?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Sunflower to be higher than in 65% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding28%Cold waves24%Tornadoes13%Drought10%Earthquakes8%Everything else16%

By hazard

What Sunflower faces

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

Inland flooding

28% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Cold waves

24% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

13% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 93% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Drought

10% of expected damage

Recorded about 12 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

8% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Sunflower flood?

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

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Sunflower County.

Disasters that hit Sunflower

3 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SunflowerDeclared for Sunflower County only

2026

Severe Winter Storm

222 households applied for aid $603K aid approved

2016

Severe Storms and Flooding

12 households applied for aid $5K aid approved

2011

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

14 households applied for aid $100K aid approved

Sunflower County has had 17 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. Sunflower 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 Sunflower’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Sunflower. 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.