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Hungarian Settlement School, Albany, LouisianaPhoto: Z28scrambler · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Albany · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Albany than in 97% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Albany gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%), then hurricanes (47%). Flood insurance has paid 39 claims here since 2003.

River and rain flooding 47%Hurricanes 47%Tornadoes 4%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 97%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Louisiana · higher than 97% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
47% of expected building damage
Flood claims
39
paid since 2003 · $3.7M
Flooded more than once
7
properties · 1 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
9
of 40 declared for Livingston Parish

What stands out about Albany’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Made safer with FEMA grants2 buildings retrofitted against wind; 2 homes raised above flood level; 1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 201628 flood claims were paid for 2016 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Albany faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

47%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hurricanes

47%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Wildfire Earthquakes Ice storms Coastal flooding Strong wind Cold waves top 3% Lightning Winter storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Albany’s grade

River and rain flooding is 47% of the building damage FEMA expects in Albany, and Albany’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 47%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Albany sits
Albany
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Albany’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding47%Hurricanes47%Tornadoes4%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Albany: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Ida in 2021, FEMA took 1,616 aid registrations from Albany addresses (the town has 504 homes) and flood insurance paid 5 claims for $217K.
A small-area figure. Albany covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Albany flood? Sometimes: 39 flood claims since 2003

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Albany, from FEMA’s records: 77.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2003: 1 claim2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 28 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 5 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200320162021
20032026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-summer severe storms24 claims · $3.1M
  • Hurricane Ida5 claims · $217K
  • The Late winter severe storms4 claims · $194K
39
paid claims since 2003
$3.7M
paid to owners
7
homes flooded more than once
$95K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Albany isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Livingston Parish.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2buildings retrofitted against wind
2homes raised above flood level
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Albany

Disasters that paid out in Albany itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Albany), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2021Hurricane Ida1,616 households applied for aid$2.5M aid approved5 flood claims paid for it, $217K
  2. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding1,112 households applied for aid$8.5M aid approved
  3. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding60 households applied for aid$75K aid approved
  4. 2012Hurricane Isaac249 households applied for aid$258K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $7K
  5. 2008Hurricane Ike37 households applied for aid$120K aid approved
  6. 2008Hurricane Gustav356 households applied for aid$316K aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2005Hurricane Rita74 households applied for aid$72K aid approved
  2. 2005Hurricane Katrina1,184 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $156K
  3. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding52 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in AlbanyLivingston Parish only

Livingston Parish has had 40 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Were you here?

Old photos of Albany after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Albany archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Albany faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Albany

Is Albany at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Albany has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (47%) and hurricanes (47%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Albany flood?

Flood insurance has paid 39 claims in Albany since 2003, $3.7M in all, or 77.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 7 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-summer severe storms (24).

Is Albany in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Livingston Parish, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 26.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Albany?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Albany’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Albany?

By FEMA money that reached Albany, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): 1,112 households applied for aid, $8.5M approved. By flood claims, Mid-summer severe storms: 24 paid, $3.1M.

Is Albany at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (47%), and Albany’s rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Albany.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Albany’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.