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FEMA flood zones · Louisiana

New Orleans, Louisiana Flood Zone Map

383,997 residents·in Orleans Parish·127,255 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 New Orleans, 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 New Orleans

The map above shows FEMA’s flood zones in and around New Orleans; 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 Orleans Parish, which includes New Orleans.

39% of Orleans Parish’s area is in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones, and another 22% in shaded X (mostly the 0.2% floodplain and areas behind levees).

Where the flood claims came from

19% of Orleans Parish’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.

114,787 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 Orleans Parish flood insurance claims that reported a flood depth, the average was 10 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 2005, with 71,538 claims and $6.7B paid, the year of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.

1978: 3,009 claims1979: 180 claims1980: 5,362 claims1981: 843 claims1982: 1,201 claims1983: 5,521 claims1984: 25 claims1985: 294 claims1986: 36 claims1987: 19 claims1988: 1,397 claims1989: 387 claims1990: 1,051 claims1991: 1,838 claims1992: 291 claims1993: 37 claims1994: 574 claims1995: 13,842 claims1996: 118 claims1997: 161 claims1998: 4,204 claims1999: 75 claims2000: 138 claims2001: 1,471 claims2002: 4,131 claims2003: 489 claims2004: 336 claims2005: 71,538 claims2006: 80 claims2007: 130 claims2008: 1,121 claims2009: 329 claims2010: 78 claims2011: 311 claims2012: 1,584 claims2013: 54 claims2014: 34 claims2015: 61 claims2016: 76 claims2017: 884 claims2018: 40 claims2019: 1,152 claims2020: 233 claims2021: 2,026 claims2022: 43 claims2023: 67 claims2024: 296 claims2025: 49 claims2026: 39 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 Orleans Parish flood history: disasters, storm reports and events →

The zones you’ll see on the map

Cross-section of a river floodplainDiagram: a river valley. The floodway is the channel and the land beside it; the 1%-annual-chance flood surface (the base flood elevation) covers the valley floor as zone A or AE; a narrow band higher up is shaded X, the 0.2% floodplain; higher ground is X.0.2% CHANCE A YEAR (500-YEAR)BASE FLOOD ELEVATION · 1% A YEARXAEFloodwayAEX
  1. 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.
  2. Floodway The channel and the land beside it that has to be kept clear enough to carry the flood. Building here is tightly limited.
  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 New Orleans

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.