Natural disaster risk in Holmes County, Mississippi
Mississippi · population 16,992 · FIPS 28051
Overall: relatively low risk
Holmes County has a composite risk score of 49.8 out of 100 — higher than 49% of US counties. It ranks 44 of 82 in Mississippi (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, tornado, cold wave.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 5 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 21.81% of Holmes County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 5 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Holmes County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively low 49.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $9.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 31.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 98.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very low 10.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Holmes County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively moderate 84 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 82 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Hail | Relatively low 72 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 69 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 69 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 66 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 63 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 58 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 46 |
| Wildfire | Very low 57 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 32 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Holmes County
Federal declarations that designated Holmes County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Holmes County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4899-MS (Severe Winter Storm), declared 6 Feb 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4899-MS | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm | 6 Feb 2026 | Yes |
| EM-3640-MS | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 24 Jan 2026 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Mississippi, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Holmes County, Mississippi?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Holmes County as relatively low, with a score of 49.8 out of 100 (higher than 49% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Holmes County?
The hazards rated highest for Holmes County are drought (relatively moderate), tornado (relatively moderate), cold wave (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Holmes County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Holmes County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Holmes County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Holmes County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4899-MS (Severe Winter Storm), declared 6 Feb 2026.
Is Holmes County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 21.81% of Holmes County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 5 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
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