FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Amelia than almost anywhere in the U.S., led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Amelia gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (49%), then coastal flooding (43%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What stands out about Amelia’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Amelia faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Coastal flooding
River and rain flooding
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.
What’s behind Amelia’s grade
Hurricanes are 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Amelia, and Amelia’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 43%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Amelia’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.8M a year in losses across Amelia: $5.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Amelia flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Amelia. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Amelia isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: St. Mary Parish.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Amelia
Disasters that paid out in Amelia itself (aid to households or repair grants to Amelia), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Francine45 households applied for aid$196K aid approved
- 2021Hurricane Ida50 households applied for aid$141K aid approved
- 2012Hurricane Isaac27 households applied for aid$29K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Ike35 households applied for aid$80K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Gustav148 households applied for aid$157K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Rita166 households applied for aid$235K aid approved
Show all 7
- 2005Hurricane Katrina153 households applied for aid$242K aid approved
St. Mary Parish has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Amelia after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Amelia archive →Get ready for what Amelia faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Amelia
Is Amelia at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Amelia has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (49%) and coastal flooding (43%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Amelia 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 St. Mary Parish, 26% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 12.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Amelia?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Amelia’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 Amelia?
By FEMA money that reached Amelia, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 153 households applied for aid, $242K approved.
Is Amelia at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Amelia’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Amelia.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Amelia’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.