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FEMA flood zones · Louisiana

Lake Charles, Louisiana Flood Zone Map

84,872 residents·in Calcasieu Parish·10,386 flood claims county-wide

Coastal high risk (V, VE)FloodwayHigh risk (A, AE)Moderate (X, 500-year)Minimal (X)Undetermined (D)

Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Lake Charles, 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.

Flood risk in Lake Charles

The map above shows FEMA’s flood zones in and around Lake Charles; tap any spot, or search an address, for the exact zone. FEMA’s flood insurance records are kept by county, not by city, so the numbers below are for all of Calcasieu Parish, which includes Lake Charles.

48% of Calcasieu Parish’s area is in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones, and another 11% in shaded X (mostly the 0.2% floodplain and areas behind levees).

Where the flood claims came from

8% of Calcasieu Parish’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.

6,000 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.

How deep the water got

outlet80″ door12″24″36″48″60″72″84″

In Calcasieu Parish flood insurance claims that reported a flood depth, the average was 5 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 the county’s claims (zero and implausible values left out). Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.

Flood claims, year by year

The worst year was 2020, with 1,731 claims and $55.3M paid, the year of Tropical Storm Cristobal, Tropical Storms Laura and Marco, Hurricane Laura, Hurricane Sally, Hurricane Delta and Hurricane Zeta.

1978: 2 claims1979: 222 claims1980: 781 claims1981: 31 claims1982: 287 claims1983: 26 claims1984: 49 claims1985: 69 claims1986: 21 claims1987: 72 claims1988: 24 claims1989: 387 claims1990: 14 claims1991: 84 claims1992: 7 claims1993: 24 claims1994: 2 claims1995: 83 claims1996: 29 claims1997: 19 claims1998: 97 claims1999: 8 claims2000: 13 claims2001: 98 claims2002: 137 claims2003: 5 claims2004: 58 claims2005: 1,405 claims2006: 429 claims2007: 25 claims2008: 1,155 claims2009: 37 claims2010: 17 claims2011: 11 claims2012: 64 claims2013: 102 claims2014: 161 claims2015: 27 claims2016: 101 claims2017: 638 claims2018: 5 claims2019: 139 claims2020: 1,731 claims2021: 1,633 claims2022: 7 claims2023: 5 claims2024: 20 claims2025: 16 claims2026: 9 claims19801990200020102020

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.

Full Calcasieu Parish flood history: disasters, storm reports and events →

The zones you’ll see on the map

Cross-section of a coastal flood zoneDiagram: land rising away from the shore. The 1%-annual-chance flood surface reaches inland; where storm waves ride on top of it the zone is V or VE, behind that AE, then a band of shaded X, then X on higher ground.0.2% CHANCE A YEAR (500-YEAR)BASE FLOOD ELEVATION · 1% A YEARXX shadedAEVE
  1. VE / V Storm waves of 3 feet or more ride on top of the flood. Strictest building rules; homes go up on pilings.
  2. A / AE Inside the 1%-a-year floodplain: about a 26% chance of flooding over a 30-year mortgage. AE has a mapped base flood elevation; plain A does not.
  3. X shaded The 0.2% (500-year) floodplain, plus some levee-protected and very shallow flood areas.
  4. X Outside both lines. No federal requirement to insure, which is not the same as no risk.

Every flood zone code explained →

Flood insurance in Lake Charles

If a building 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.

The average NFIP premium across Louisiana was $1,052 a year on August 31, 2026 (premium plus the federal policy fee; the reserve fund assessment and HFIAA surcharge come on top). Risk Rating 2.0 prices each building on its own flood risk, so a quote can be far from the average.

Outside the high-risk 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. Quotes: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.