6,203 flood insurance claims·$102.9M paid·32 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 Lafourche 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.
Lafourche Parish faces a primary flood risk driven by storm surge, tropical storms, hurricanes, and heavy rainfall events. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show numerous weather impacts, led by 27 storm surge or tide events, 25 tropical storms, 21 hurricanes, and 21 flash flood events, which resulted in 1 death.
Severe rainfall events illustrate this ongoing vulnerability, such as the flash flood events on January 24, 2024, driven by near-record atmospheric moisture, a stalled frontal boundary, and an approaching upper-level jet that brought 5 to 10 inches of rain to local areas.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate significant historical claims across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 4,159 claims with an average payout of $24,669 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. Zone V includes 192 claims with an average payout of $12,012 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. Unshaded Zone X properties recorded 574 claims with an average payout of $22,527 and an average water depth of 5 inches, while Zone X properties recorded 436 claims with an average payout of $27,400 and an average water depth of 4 inches. Properties with unknown zones recorded 664 claims averaging $10,220 with an average water depth of 4 inches. Coastal property owners and residents in Zones A and V should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
15% of Lafourche Parish’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
5,100 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 6 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 1985, with 1,164 claims and $13.6M paid, the year of Hurricane Juan.
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.
63 NOAA storm reports from Lafourche Parish describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Louisiana flood stories →
53 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 32 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.
104 since 1996: 21 flash floods, 4 river or area floods and 31 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jan 24, 2024 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Jun 16, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 11, 2024 | $4.5M |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Sep 11, 2024 | $10.0M |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Sep 11, 2024 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Aug 29, 2021 | $750.0M |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Aug 29, 2021 | $500.0M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jan 24, 2024. For the second time in January, near record atmospheric levels of moisture, for January, was in place across southern Mississippi and southeast Louisiana. Low level convergence aided in the formation of a weak stalled frontal boundary, which became the focus for widespread showers and thunderstorms. Strong diffluence aloft from an approaching upper level jet enhanced storms that did develop. The combo of more than…
Storm Surge/Tide · Jun 16, 2024. As a surface ridge nearby shifted off to the northeast during the 3rd weekend of June, light and variable winds became onshore and more steady state. By June 16th, the surface ridge shifted offshore into the Atlantic Ocean and a surface low pressure was developing as it crossed the Yucatan Peninsula. It was at this point that east to southeast winds increased to 15-20 knots across local coastal waters and didn't l…
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…
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 Lafourche 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.