127 flood insurance claims·$1.9M paid·7 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Issaquena County, Mississippi. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
6% of Issaquena County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
98 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 8 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2019, with 19 claims and $395,074 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
10 NOAA storm reports from Issaquena County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Mississippi flood stories →
27 federal disaster declarations since 1971, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 28, 2021 |
| Hurricane Delta | Oct 7, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Feb 10, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Feb 22, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 9, 2016 |
| Flooding | May 3, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
13 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2017 | $9,000 |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 29, 2012 | $25,000 |
| Flood | May 6, 2011 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | May 15, 2008 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 15, 2008 | $200,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 12, 2008 | $65,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 16, 2006 | $300,000 |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Aug 29, 2005 | $200,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 8, 2017. A stalled front lingered across the ArkLaMiss region, which allowed for several upper level disturbances to move through. This, combined with a rather moist airmass, led to several days of flash flooding across the area. The most significant flash flooding occurred on August 9th.
Tropical Storm · Aug 29, 2012. Tropical Depression Nine formed in the Atlantic, east of the Lesser Antilles, on the morning of August 21, 2012. Twelve hours later, Tropical Depression Nine had strengthened into Tropical Storm Isaac. Isaac continued to track through the eastern Caribbean Sea and Florida Straits while maintaining high end tropical storm strength. Just before noon central time on the 28th, Isaac was located about 75 miles south-so…
Flood · May 6, 2011. The flood of 2011 had its birth around the end of March when heavy rainfall of 2 to 5 inches fell across Arkansas, Southeast Missouri, and the Ohio River Valley. The Mississippi River crested well above flood stage at Cairo around the middle of March and at flood stage at Vicksburg around the end of the month. The river receded until early April when 2 to 5 inches of rain fell over North Kentucky and the Ohio Ri…
Flash Flood · May 15, 2008. Multiple rounds of storms evolved over the region starting late on the 14th and lasted through the 15th. This produced several areas of heavy rainfall across the forecast area. The region that experienced the greatest rainfall was across Northeast Louisiana, and West Central Mississippi where 5 to 8 inches fell. The other area of heavy rain was along Interstate 20, through Central and East Central Mississippi. Her…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Issaquena County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.