13,501 flood insurance claims·$300.5M paid·33 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 Terrebonne 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.
Tropical storms, flash floods, and storm surges dominate the flood character of Terrebonne Parish. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 25 tropical storm events, 25 flash flood events, 22 storm surge or tide events, and 21 hurricane events, which resulted in one death. Additional events include five coastal flood events, two tropical depressions, and two general flood events. Recent flash flood events driven by daytime heating, high instability, and stalled frontal boundaries occurred in June 2025 and August 2025.
Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance claims data reflect widespread risk across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 9,622 claims with an average payout of $28,486 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone X unshaded recorded 1,326 claims with an average payout of $27,790 and an average water depth of 5 inches, while Zone V accumulated 908 claims averaging $21,891 with an average water depth of 9 inches. Properties with unknown zones recorded 797 claims averaging $13,901 with an average water depth of 21 inches, and Zone X properties logged 501 claims averaging $20,673 with an average water depth of 4 inches.
Coastal property owners, residents in high-risk Zones A and V, and those in unshaded or unknown zones should pay the closest attention to flood risks given the historical frequency of tropical systems and storm surges.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
14% of Terrebonne Parish’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
12,203 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 2005, with 2,920 claims and $97.8M 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.
70 NOAA storm reports from Terrebonne Parish describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Louisiana flood stories →
52 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 33 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 Winter Storm | Feb 11, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 11, 2021 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
102 since 1996: 25 flash floods, 2 river or area floods and 27 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2025 | — |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Jun 16, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Sep 11, 2024 | $20.0M |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Sep 11, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 6, 2024 | — |
| Hurricane (Typhoon) | Aug 29, 2021 | $750.0M · 1 killed |
| Storm Surge/Tide | Aug 28, 2021 | $750,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 21, 2025. The local area was on the eastern periphery of an upper level ridge. A weak frontal boundary was slowly sagging in from the northeast due to the presence of an upper level trough along the east coast of the United States. Strong daytime heating combined with ample moisture in place and weak surface boundary convergence created an environment conducive for heavy rainfall and a few severe thunderstorms.
Flash Flood · Jun 10, 2025. A north/south oriented trough axis extended from the Great Lakes to the Florida Panhandle and a ridge was centered over the Desert Southwest encompasses the rest of the country. That put the CWA right between both features. The frontal boundary associated with the trough stalled along the northern Gulf Coast. That front was the initial focal point for convection to begin developing early in the afternoon. That act…
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…
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 Terrebonne 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.