High risk: Zone A and AE
FEMA calls these Special Flood Hazard Areas, the area inundated by a flood with a 1 percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. That flood is what people mean by the base flood or the 100 year flood.
Rivers and Rain, Year Round
The Leaf River and Flood Zones
In April 1974 the Leaf River at Hattiesburg crested at 34.03 feet, twelve feet over flood stage. The Weather Service’s description of that level is short: "East Hattiesburg is inundated. Serious flooding in the cities of Hattiesburg and Petal."
How the river and Bouie Creek are measured, what a flood zone on a FEMA map does and does not tell you, and why the insurance has to be in place a month before the water.
Water coming in now?
Move people and power first, then call {{PHONE}}. A person answers at any hour, and the first hour guide below covers the steps.
Hattiesburg and Petal both sit along the Leaf River, and Bouie Creek runs near Hattiesburg. The same water that shaped these towns can fill low streets after a long rain.
This page is for the homeowner who wants to know two things: how high the water has to get before it matters, and whether a house away from the river can still flood. The short answer to the second is yes.
How the River Is Measured
The Leaf River at Hattiesburg and Bouie Creek near Hattiesburg each have a federal river gauge, and the National Weather Service sets the stage at which each kind of flooding begins.
| Gauge | Action stage | Minor flood | Moderate flood | Major flood | Highest crests on record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaf River at Hattiesburg | 16 ft | 22 ft | 24 ft | 29.3 ft | 34.03 ft on April 15, 1974; 31.53 ft on February 23, 1961 |
| Bouie Creek near Hattiesburg | 17 ft | 18 ft | 24 ft | 28 ft | 33.5 ft in 1900 (reconstructed); 28.18 ft on April 14, 1974 |
Notice the two dates in April 1974, one day apart: Bouie Creek crested on April 14 and the Leaf River on April 15. When the forecast for the Leaf River gauge shows a crest above 22 feet, low ground along the river in Hattiesburg and Petal is in play.
Who Watches the River in Hattiesburg
The City of Hattiesburg runs a floodplain management office at City Hall. Its page notes that "The Emergency Management District receives readings twice a day from the Jackson Weather Service for river flooding," and that a certified Building Official is on staff to advise on retrofitting flood prone structures. If you own an older house on low ground inside the city, it is worth asking about before the next high water. Our page on who to call besides us lists the city and county offices.
What a Flood Zone Means
A flood zone is a line on a FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. It describes chance, not a promise.
Moderate risk: Zone X, shaded
FEMA describes the areas between the limits of the base flood and the 0.2 percent annual chance flood, also called the 500 year flood. These are labeled Zone B or shaded Zone X. Water reaches these areas in the larger floods.
Minimal risk: Zone X, unshaded
FEMA describes areas of minimal flood hazard as the areas outside the Special Flood Hazard Area. These are labeled Zone C or unshaded Zone X. Minimal is not none: heavy rain, a blocked ditch or a culvert that cannot keep up still floods houses here.
Away from the river is not out of the water
Most of the rain that falls on the Pine Belt never reaches the Leaf River on the day it falls. It runs down streets and ditches and across yards first, and a house in the middle of a moderate or minimal risk area can take water at the door in a storm that never moves the river gauge at all.
Checking Your Own Map
Open FEMA’s flood maps page
Go to FEMA flood maps, which links to the Map Service Center, FEMA’s official source for flood hazard maps. Look up your street address there to see the current Flood Insurance Rate Map panel for that spot. For a city address, the Hattiesburg floodplain office can also help.
Find the zone letter at your house
The shaded areas carry the zone labels described above. Zoom in until you can see your lot, not just your street.
Look at the ground, not only the map
Note where the low corner of your lot is, where water stood after the last heavy rain, and whether the house sits up on a crawl space or on a slab at grade.
Take the result to your agent
Ask whether you carry flood insurance, what the policy covers in the house and in the contents, and when it renews.
Why the Policy Has to Come First
Two rules from two agencies, and both catch people every year.
The Mississippi Insurance Department is direct about the first: "Standard homeowners insurance does not provide coverage for damage due to floods." Water that rises from the river or creek, or runs across the yard and in at the door, is flood. Flood coverage comes from a separate policy, most often through the National Flood Insurance Program.
The second rule is time. FEMA says there is typically a 30 day waiting period from the date of purchase before the policy goes into effect. When the Leaf River forecast shows a crest coming, it is already too late to buy a policy for that flood. Our page on when a hurricane comes inland explains how the wind and flood parts of a storm split into two claims, and how a claim works in Mississippi covers the rest.
When the Water Comes In
Get people out of the water, and stay out of any room where the water is near outlets until the power is off from a dry place. Photograph the water line on the walls before anything is moved. Floodwater carries what it picked up in the street and the ditches, so drywall, insulation and carpet it soaked are generally removed rather than dried, and the cleaning is a job for gloves and boots. The step by step order is on the first hour after water damage.
Questions About Flooding in the Pine Belt
My house is in Zone X. Do I need flood insurance?
It is your choice, and it is worth a real conversation with your agent. Zone X means a lower chance, not no chance, and the homeowners policy will not pay for rising water whatever the zone.
How do I know when the Leaf River is going to flood?
The National Weather Service publishes the observed level and the forecast for the Leaf River gauge at Hattiesburg. Minor flooding starts at 22 feet; when the forecast crest moves past that, low ground along the river needs watching.
Water came in from the street, not from the river. Is that still a flood?
For insurance, usually yes. Water that flows across the ground and into the house is treated as flood, and only a flood policy covers it.
Sources for this page
- NOAA National Water Prediction Service, Leaf River at Hattiesburg, flood categories, record crests and the impact at 34 feet.
- NOAA National Water Prediction Service, Bouie Creek near Hattiesburg, flood categories and historic crests.
- City of Hattiesburg, floodplain management, river readings and retrofitting advice.
- FEMA, flood zones, the zone definitions.
- FEMA, flood maps, the Map Service Center and the official flood hazard maps.
- Mississippi Insurance Department, homeowners insurance, the flood exclusion.
- FEMA, waiting period for a flood policy, the 30 day wait.
Water in the House After a Flood
A person answers 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Tell us how high the water got and whether it is still rising.