Harrison County, MS Environment & Hazard Risk

• HurricaneVery High$86.6M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 years
• LightningVery High$2.1M/yr expected annual loss, about 87 events a year
• TornadoRelatively High$11.2M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• Heat waveRelatively Moderate$4.8M/yr expected annual loss, about 14 events a year
• WildfireRelatively Moderate$2.5M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 157 years
• Coastal floodingRelatively High$5.8M/yr expected annual loss, about 6.5 events a year
• Cold waveRelatively Moderate$4.8M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• HailRelatively Moderate$1.2M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.9 events a year
• Strong windRelatively High$1.3M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.6 events a year
• Ice stormRelatively Moderate$233K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
• Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$130K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• EarthquakeRelatively Low$662K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,032 years
• DroughtRelatively Low$212K/yr expected annual loss, about 19 events a year
• LandslideVery Low$317/yr expected annual loss, about once every 12 years

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance

10,601 of 73,384 (14.4%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

10,451

Insured in high-risk zones

6,531 (62%)

Flood claims since 1978

15,939

Claims paid since 1978

$1.3B

• Thunderstorm Wind155
• Flash Flood81 · 1 death
• Hail75
• Tornado49
• Excessive Heat44
• Lightning19 · 2 deaths
• Drought15
• Flood14
• Funnel Cloud12
• Heavy Rain9

• Flash Flood03/28/2009

  Long Beach, Harrison County

  1 death, $750K damage

  What happened

  Major flooding due to heavy rain affected portions of Harrison County. The cities which experienced the worst flooding were Gulfport, Biloxi, D'Iberville, and Long Beach. At least 100 roads were impacted by flooding with numerous cars under water near the entrance to Interstate 10 off of the Interstate 110 loop. Around 200 homes flooded with most having 12 inches or less of water in them. A 36 year old man drowned in D'Iberville when he drove into a flooded drainage ditch.

• Lightning08/25/1999

  D Iberville, Harrison County

  1 death

  What happened

  A 37 year old man was fatally injured by a lightning strike. The man was standing behind a waste collection truck when lightning struck a nearby tree and the charge moved through the tree to the man standing near the truck.

• Lightning06/08/2001

  Gulfport, Harrison County

  1 death

  What happened

  A lightning strike killed a 25 year old women in Gulfport shortly after lightning injured a 53 year old man in the nearby community of Pass Christian. Lightning also started a fire at a business in Oceans Springs which resulted in $60,000 damage.

• TornadoF2, 1.5 mi path, 50 yd wide11/24/2004

  Orange Grove, Harrison County

  $3M damage

  What happened

  A tornado traveled east to west on path along Dedeaux Road between Highway 49 and Three Rivers Road in the Orange Grove community. Most of the damage was rated a F1 intensity by a NWS ground survey, however there were areas of F2 damage. A large church under-construction was heavily damaged or destroyed. Three homes and five businesses received major damage while twenty homes had minor damage. Early estimates were that damage would approach 3 million dollars.

• Lightning06/08/2001

  Pass Christian, Harrison County

  1 injured

  What happened

  A lightning strike killed a 25 year old women in Gulfport shortly after lightning injured a 53 year old man in the nearby community of Pass Christian. Lightning also started a fire at a business in Oceans Springs which resulted in $60,000 damage.

• Flash Flood06/11/2001

  Countywide, Harrison County

  $750K damage

  What happened

  The remnants of Tropical Storm Allison moved over southeast Louisiana and south Mississippi during the night of June 10/11th and intensified. Some thunderstorms reached severe levels and produced damaging winds and short lived, weak tornadoes. Heavy rainfall also accompanied the storms with 5 to 10 inches of rainfall reported overnight. Flash flooding developed in several areas of poor drainage in Harrison and Jackson Counties with roadways, and some structures flooded. An area in Gulfport near Brickyard Bayou was reported to have been hard hit with a large number of houses flooded. Flash flooding was also reported near Bluff Creak near Vancleave. Heavy rainfall caused flooding of streets and roadways in Hancock and Pearl River Counties.

• City of GulfportServes 75,056 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• City of BiloxiServes 23,310 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• City of Long BeachServes 18,514 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• Diberville W/SServes 12,721 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• City of Pass ChristianServes 10,436 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• City of Biloxi-NorthServes 9,858 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• Keesler Air Force BaseServes 8,006 · Groundwater · FederalNo health violations
• City of Biloxi-FrenchServes 4,968 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations