3,470 flood insurance claims·$203.1M paid·21 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 Cameron 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.
Cameron Parish is characterized predominantly by coastal flooding and storm surge hazards, supported by NOAA storm records documenting 22 coastal flood events, 8 storm surge events, and 8 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Recent coastal flood events include Hurricane Francine in September 2024 and heavy rainfall driven by a stalled frontal boundary and Tropical Storm Rafael in November 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims distributed across multiple zones, with the highest volume in Zone A, which logged 2,249 claims with an average payout of $77,207 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Zone V recorded 932 claims with an average payout of $47,489 and an average recorded water depth of 28 inches. Zone X properties recorded 150 claims with an average payout of $52,278 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches, while 13 Shaded Zone X claims averaged $173,767 with an average water depth of 16 inches. An additional 122 claims with unknown zones averaged $23,466 and an average water depth of 70 inches.
Coastal properties in high-risk zones, particularly those in Zone A and Zone V facing direct surge and coastal flooding threats, should pay the closest attention to flood risk and mitigation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Cameron Parish’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
3,198 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 15 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 2005, with 1,348 claims and $100.9M paid, the year of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.
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.
15 NOAA storm reports from Cameron Parish describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Louisiana flood stories →
39 federal disaster declarations since 1971, 21 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Tropical Storm Francine | Sep 10, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Nicholas | Sep 12, 2021 |
| Hurricane Ida | Aug 26, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Ida | Aug 26, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Hurricane Zeta | Oct 26, 2020 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
51 since 1996: 8 flash floods, 4 river or area floods and 30 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Jun 19, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Nov 18, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Sep 11, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Nov 9, 2024 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Jul 8, 2024 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Jul 8, 2024 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Jul 8, 2024 | $2,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jan 24, 2024. A slow moving storm system affected Central and South Louisiana with multiple days of heavy rain and a few severe storms.
Storm Surge/Tide · Jun 19, 2024. Tropical Storm Alberto moved across the western gulf and into Northeast Mexico. The large wind field of the disorganized system pushed water levels into minor flood along the coast of Southeast Texas and South Louisiana.
Coastal Flood · Nov 18, 2024. Strong south winds developed ahead of an approaching cold front pushing the tides above normal. The high tides produced minor flooding along the Cameron Parish coast.
Coastal Flood · Sep 11, 2024. Francine originated from a tropical wave that emerged off the West coast of Africa on August 28th. The wave traversed the tropical Atlantic Ocean with minimal organization, reaching the Leeward Islands by September 1st. The tropical wave reached the Yucat��n Peninsula by September 6th, emerged into the Bay of Campeche by September 7th, with a broad surface low pressure noted by September 8th. By daybreak on S…
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 Cameron 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.