Derma, MS
How exposed is Derma to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Derma at the 65th national percentile for risk to structures, well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a score built from 577 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Derma at the 67th percentile, close to its 65th-percentile risk score.
Where Derma's buildings actually sit
64.8% of Derma's 577 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 374 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 35.2% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Derma ranks
Derma's 65th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 45th ranking inside Mississippi does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 20 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Derma ranks 10,937 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,149 by building count (1 is largest). Within Mississippi alone, it ranks 230 of 420 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Mississippi on its state page.
Derma and the insurance market
At the 65th percentile nationally, Derma carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Because Direct exposure dominates in Derma (64.8%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 577 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Derma. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Derma, see the exposure-zones guide.