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Mississippi · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Harrison County, MS

6 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2026), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Hurricane.

6
FEMA declarations
2
Major disasters
96
NRI risk · Relatively High
Hurricane
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Harrison County in the top 4% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 81% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Harrison County compare?

FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Mississippi county average and the national county average.

Harrison County
6
Mississippi county avg
5.9
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Harrison County?

Harrison County, Mississippi has recorded 6 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2026, of which 2 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at 1.2 declarations per year across a 5-year record, or roughly 3% above the Mississippi county average of 5.9 and 60% above the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency, smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.

The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 5 of 6 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively High (composite score 95.6/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Moderate equivalent to roughly $154.6M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively High and community resilience scores Relatively High - two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Hurricane (Very High).

NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Harrison County at a moderate relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps, flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management, before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.

Risk Assessment

How Harrison County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Moderate

vs. Mississippi Avg

+3%

State avg: 5.9

vs. National Avg

+60%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

1.2

Over 5 years

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Harrison County

Harrison County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 25, Flood 70, Hurricane 92, Tornado 70, Wildfire 48, Drought 25, Heat Wave 48, Winter Storm 48. Overall composite 53 of 100, classified High. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 53 composite
Harrison County NRI risk profile FIPS 28047 · composite 53/100 (High)

The radar plots Harrison County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance.

FEMA Records

6

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

28047

MS state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 6 FEMA disaster declarations in Harrison County by incident type.

Hurricane 5
Winter Storm 1

Declaration Types

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Emergency - 4 66.7%

of all 6 declarations

Major Disaster - 2 33.3%

of all 6 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Harrison County.

Year Declarations
2026 1
2022 1
2021 4

Disaster Declarations

All 6 FEMA disaster declarations for Harrison County, Mississippi.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
3640 SEVERE WINTER STORM EM Winter Storm 2026-01-24
4626 HURRICANE IDA DR Hurricane 2021-10-22
3569 HURRICANE IDA EM Hurricane 2021-08-28
4576 HURRICANE ZETA DR Hurricane 2020-12-31
3550 HURRICANE ZETA EM Hurricane 2020-10-28
3548 HURRICANE DELTA EM Hurricane 2020-10-08

Storm Events in Mississippi

NOAA severe weather data for Mississippi (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Thunderstorm Wind 6,255 17 61 $101.0M
Heat 1,736 3 0 $0
Flash Flood 1,637 7 10 $85.6M
Hail 1,542 0 0 $92.2M
Tornado 1,211 77 653 $592.1M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025

FEMA National Risk Index

FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Harrison County.

Overall Risk

Relatively High

Score: 95.6/100

Expected Annual Loss

Relatively Moderate

$154.6M/year

Social Vulnerability

Relatively High

Community Resilience

Relatively High

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Harrison County.

Hurricane Very High
Lightning Very High
Tornado Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively High
Cold Wave Relatively Moderate
Hail Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind Relatively High
Ice Storm Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri

Counties with Similar Risk in Mississippi

Other Mississippi counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Harrison County, Mississippi had?
Harrison County, Mississippi has received 6 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2026. Of these, 2 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Harrison County?
The most common disaster type in Harrison County is Hurricane, with 5 declarations. Other disaster types include Winter Storm (1).
How does Harrison County's disaster risk compare to the Mississippi average?
Harrison County has 6 disaster declarations, which is 3% higher than the Mississippi county average of 5.9 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 60% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Harrison County received?
Harrison County has received 2 major disaster declarations, representing 33% of all 6 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Mississippi?
The most common storm types in Mississippi include Thunderstorm Wind (6,255 events), Heat (1,736 events), Flash Flood (1,637 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What was the worst year for disasters in Harrison County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Harrison County was 2021, with 4 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 2021 to 2026.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Harrison County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Harrison County has a moderate disaster risk level with 6 total declarations. This county has a moderate number of disaster declarations.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Harrison County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Harrison County, Mississippi has an overall risk score of 95.6 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively High and community resilience is Relatively High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $154.6M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Harrison County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Harrison County is Hurricane (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Lightning (Very High) and Tornado (Relatively High). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.

Data Sources & Methodology

Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.

Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.

This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.

What this means for Harrison County

Harrison County, MS has 6 FEMA disaster declarations on record, a moderate historical disaster load, 3% above the Mississippi county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is emergency (4 of 6) - know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Mississippi overview
  • See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
  • Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide

Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.

All federal data sources used on this page
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial

Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →

Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.