883 flood insurance claims·$5.1M paid·31 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Assumption Parish, Louisiana. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding and tropical systems dominate the flood risk in Assumption Parish, supported by NOAA records over the last 30 years documenting 8 flash flood events, 7 hurricanes, 5 tropical storms, 1 tropical depression, 1 storm surge event, and 1 general flood. Recent events illustrate this vulnerability, including Hurricane Francine in September 2024, which brought torrential rainfall of 10 to 15 inches and significant flash flooding, as well as a slow-moving cold front in December 2024 that produced widespread rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches with localized amounts exceeding 10 inches and numerous road closures.
Federal Emergency Management Agency insurance data reveals claim distributions across various flood zones. Zone A accounts for the highest volume with 494 claims averaging a $7,520 payout with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN records 254 claims averaging a $1,683 payout with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X_UNSHADED has 81 claims averaging a $12,010 payout with an average recorded water depth of 3 inches, Zone X records 47 claims averaging a $31,509 payout with an average recorded water depth of 11 inches, and Zone V records 5 claims averaging a $6,741 payout with an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Residents in Zone A and Zone X properties—who experience the highest claim frequencies and deepest average recorded water depths—should pay the closest attention to flood preparedness.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
14% of Assumption Parish’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
582 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 3 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 1980, with 133 claims and $165,963 paid, the year of Severe Storms & Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
16 NOAA storm reports from Assumption Parish describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Louisiana flood stories →
49 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 31 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Tropical Storm Francine | Sep 10, 2024 |
| Hurricane Francine | Sep 9, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Nicholas | Sep 12, 2021 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 26, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Ida | Aug 26, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 17, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
23 since 1996: 8 flash floods, 1 river or area floods and 1 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 11, 2024 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Sep 11, 2024 | $1.0M |
| Flash Flood | Dec 9, 2024 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Aug 29, 2021 | $10.0M |
| Tropical Storm | Oct 9, 2020 | $5.0M |
| Tropical Storm | Jul 12, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jan 10, 2013 | $2,000 |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Aug 28, 2012 | $1.0M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 11, 2024. Hurricane Francine formed as a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico on September 9, 2024, and intensified into a Category 2 hurricane before making landfall near Houma, Louisiana, on the morning of September 11. With sustained winds of 100 mph and gusts peaking at 105 mph, Francine brought widespread damage to southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi. A storm surge of 6-9 feet inundated low-lying coastal ar…
Hurricane (Typhoon) · Sep 11, 2024. Hurricane Francine formed as a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico on September 9, 2024, and intensified into a Category 2 hurricane before making landfall near Houma, Louisiana, on the morning of September 11. With sustained winds of 100 mph and gusts peaking at 105 mph, Francine brought widespread damage to southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi. A storm surge of 6-9 feet inundated low-lying coastal ar…
Flash Flood · Dec 9, 2024. On December 9, 2024, a slow-moving cold front interacting with a deep moisture plume resulted in prolonged periods of heavy rainfall across southeastern Louisiana. Widespread rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches were reported, with localized amounts exceeding 10 inches, particularly in the river parishes portions of the Northshore. The excessive rainfall led to flash flooding, with numerous road closures.
Hurricane (Typhoon) · Aug 29, 2021. The ninth named storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, Ida originated from a tropical wave in the Caribbean Sea on August 23rd. On August 26th, the wave developed into a tropical depression, which organized further and became Tropical Storm Ida later that day, near Grand Cayman. On a northwestward track, Ida intensified into a hurricane on August 27, just before…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Assumption Parish is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.