Residence Plantation House · Photo: Z28scrambler · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Bayou Blue faces more hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bayou Blue gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #150 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (76%), then river and rain flooding (18%). Flood insurance has paid 16 claims here since 1991.
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 Bayou Blue faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
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 Bayou Blue’s grade
Hurricanes are 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bayou Blue, and Bayou Blue’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 3%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #150 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bayou Blue’s residents live in 8 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, Bayou Blue has more expected damage per building than 93% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.0M a year in losses across Bayou Blue: $8.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bayou Blue flood? Sometimes: 16 flood claims since 1991
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bayou Blue, from FEMA’s records: 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The 2026-06-Arthur-TS6 claims · $429K
- Hurricane Ida3 claims · $56K
- Tropical Storm Isidore1 claim · $9K
Bayou Blue isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Terrebonne Parish.2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bayou Blue
Disasters that paid out in Bayou Blue itself (aid to households or repair grants to Bayou Blue), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Francine7 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2021Hurricane Ida12 households applied for aid$104K aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $56K
Its 2 counties have had 43 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Bayou Blue after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bayou Blue archive →Bayou Blue and its neighbors
Bayou Blue is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Bayou Blue 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.
- 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 Bayou Blue
Is Bayou Blue at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bayou Blue has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #150 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (76%) and river and rain flooding (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bayou Blue flood?
Flood insurance has paid 16 claims in Bayou Blue since 1991, $781K in all, or 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from 2026-06-Arthur-TS (6).
Is Bayou Blue 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 Terrebonne Parish, 32.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Bayou Blue?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bayou Blue’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 Bayou Blue?
By FEMA money that reached Bayou Blue, Hurricane Ida (2021): 12 households applied for aid, $104K approved. By flood claims, 2026-06-Arthur-TS: 6 paid, $429K.
Is Bayou Blue at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Bayou Blue’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bayou Blue.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bayou Blue’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.