Photo: Hot Furnace · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Ball faces more hazard damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ball gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #50 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 2017.
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 Ball 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
Hurricanes
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 Ball’s grade
River and rain flooding is 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ball, and Ball’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 13% (higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts).
C #50 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ball’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Louisiana town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ball has less expected damage per building than 70% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Ball: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ball flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ball, from FEMA’s records: 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Delta1 claim · $2K
Ball isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Rapides Parish.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ball
Disasters that paid out in Ball itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Ball), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms15 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Delta39 households applied for aid$67K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $2K
- 2020Hurricane Laura620 households applied for aid$256K aid approved$165K to the Town of Ball for repairs
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding7 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Gustav267 households applied for aid$119K aid approved$46K to the Town of Ball for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Rita$205K to the Town of Ball for repairs
Show all 7
- 2002Hurricane Lili$26K to the Town of Ball for repairs
Rapides Parish has had 35 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Rapides Parish, 2000–2023.
Old photos of Ball after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ball archive →Ball and its neighbors
Ball is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pineville | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 193 |
| Ball | Cmore damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 8 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Ball faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Ball
Is Ball at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ball has higher expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #50 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (79%) and hurricanes (13%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ball flood?
Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Ball since 2017, $136K in all, or 5.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 63% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Delta (1).
Is Ball 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 Rapides Parish, 5.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Ball?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ball’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 Ball?
By FEMA money that reached Ball, Hurricane Laura (2020): 620 households applied for aid, $256K approved, and $165K to the Town of Ball for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Delta: 1 paid, $2K.
Is Ball at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and Ball’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ball.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ball’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.