Photo: John Messina · Public domainOn FEMA’s figures, Bayou Gauche faces more hazard damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bayou Gauche gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (73%), then coastal flooding (17%). 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 Bayou Gauche 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 Bayou Gauche’s grade
Hurricanes are 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bayou Gauche, and Bayou Gauche’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 17%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Bayou Gauche’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Bayou Gauche: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bayou Gauche flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bayou Gauche. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Bayou Gauche 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. Charles Parish.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Bayou Gauche
Disasters that paid out in Bayou Gauche itself (aid to households or repair grants to Bayou Gauche), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Hurricane Ida6 households applied for aid$28K aid approved
St. Charles Parish has had 39 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Bayou Gauche after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bayou Gauche archive →Bayou Gauche and its neighbors
Bayou Gauche has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayou Gauche | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 0 |
| Des Allemands | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | — |
| Boutte | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | 242 |
| Paradis | — | 552 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Gauche 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 Bayou Gauche
Is Bayou Gauche at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bayou Gauche has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (73%) and coastal flooding (17%). 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 Bayou Gauche 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. Charles Parish, 55.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Bayou Gauche?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bayou Gauche’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 Gauche?
By FEMA money that reached Bayou Gauche, Hurricane Ida (2021): 6 households applied for aid, $28K approved.
Is Bayou Gauche at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Bayou Gauche’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bayou Gauche.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bayou Gauche’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.