Flood Zones in Pearl River County, Mississippi

A flood history that goes back to 1916 -- and includes 2026

Pearl River County's flood-risk profile isn't hypothetical or purely map-based -- it's backed by more than a century of documented events. The state's own flood-map discovery report for the Lower Pearl River watershed identifies the 1916 flood as the benchmark event, with a recurrence interval estimated to exceed the 500-year standard, followed by other major floods in June 1928, December 1961, April 1964, April 1979, and again in 2012. Most of the county's streams draining more than one square mile have a mapped flood zone as a result, and a 2005 LiDAR topographic survey fed into an updated Flood Insurance Study for the county completed in 2010 (FEMA community/FIPS number 28109C) -- meaning the county's flood maps reflect a real modern engineering update, not a decades-stale survey, though any map is still only as current as its last revision, so confirm the latest effective FIRM panel for a specific parcel before relying on this page.

The county's two most significant named flood-prone tributaries are Hobolochitto Creek (a Choctaw-derived name with several historical spelling variants) and Bogue Homa (Choctaw for "red creek"), both tributaries feeding toward the Pearl River. If a parcel you're evaluating sits near either creek, treat that proximity as a real, documented flood-history factor, not just a name on a map.

2026 brought two separate, well-documented flood events

This isn't only historical: 2026 itself produced real, current flood activity in Pearl River County. In May 2026, slow-moving storms dropped an estimated 6 to 12 inches of rain across Pearl River and Hancock counties, triggering flash-flood warnings for Picayune, Poplarville, and McNeill. The National Weather Service upgraded its forecast for both East and West Hobolochitto Creek to moderate-to-major flooding, and the Pearl River itself rose above flood stage, causing concern in low-lying areas and along secondary roads near Honey Island Swamp. Local streets in Picayune, including North Beech Street, Sycamore, and East Boley Road, were closed to traffic during the event.

Then, June 18-20, 2026, the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur produced severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flash flooding across south Mississippi. President Trump approved Governor Tate Reeves' request for a federal Major Disaster Declaration (FEMA DR-4930-MS) covering the affected counties, with Pearl River County specifically approved for both Individual Assistance (direct aid to affected homeowners and renters) and Public Assistance (aid to local government and qualifying nonprofits for infrastructure repair) -- one of only four counties statewide to receive Individual Assistance from that storm. One contemporaneous news report put Pearl River County's damage at 13 homes and one business, with the dam at Anchor Lake in the county monitored after water flowed over the structure; that specific dam detail comes from a single source this pass could not independently cross-confirm, so verify current Anchor Lake dam status directly if it's relevant to a nearby parcel.

What this means for evaluating a specific parcel

Given this documented history, treat a FEMA flood-zone check as a baseline, not the finish line, for any Pearl River County parcel -- especially one near the Pearl River itself, Hobolochitto Creek (east or west), Bogue Homa, or Honey Island Swamp. Pull the current effective FIRM panel for the specific parcel, and separately ask the seller or a title company whether the property was affected by either the May 2026 flash flooding or the June 2026 Tropical Storm Arthur event, since a property that flooded in 2026 but sits just outside a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area is exactly the kind of gap between a flood map and real flood history that a buyer should know about before closing. If federal disaster assistance was paid on the property (FEMA DR-4930-MS), that can also affect future flood-insurance requirements and pricing under FEMA's Increased Cost of Compliance and substantial-damage rules, so ask directly rather than assuming a clean map means a clean history.