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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bayou Vista · FEMA

FEMA puts Bayou Vista’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bayou Vista gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #102 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (82%), then river and rain flooding (14%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hurricanes 82%River and rain flooding 14%Tornadoes 2%

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 95%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#102 of 162 in Louisiana
Hazard risk
D−#102 of 162
in Louisiana · higher than 95% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 34 declared for St. Mary Parish
By hazard

What Bayou Vista faces

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

Hurricanes

82%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

14%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Coastal flooding Hail Earthquakes Lightning top 5% Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves 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 Bayou Vista’s grade

Hurricanes are 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bayou Vista, and Bayou Vista’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 14% (lower than 80% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Bayou Vista sits
Bayou Vista
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #102 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Bayou Vista’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes82%River and rain flooding14%Everything else4%

The typical Louisiana town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Bayou Vista has more expected damage per building than 63% of Louisiana towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.3M a year in losses across Bayou Vista: $3.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Bayou Vista’s 4,213 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bayou Vista flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Bayou Vista. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Bayou Vista 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.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bayou Vista

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Francine15 households applied for aid$21K aid approved
  2. 2021Hurricane Ida12 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  3. 2012Hurricane Isaac2 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
  4. 2008Hurricane Ike1 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
  5. 2008Hurricane Gustav4 households applied for aid$370 aid approved
  6. 2005Hurricane Rita7 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2005Hurricane Katrina6 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Bayou VistaSt. Mary Parish only

St. Mary Parish has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Bayou Vista archive →
Next door

Bayou Vista and its neighbors

Bayou Vista is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Berwick: hazard risk DBerwickBayou Vista
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BerwickDmore damage than 95%hurricanes82
Bayou VistaD−more damage than 95%hurricanes0

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Bayou Vista faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Bayou Vista

Is Bayou Vista at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bayou Vista has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #102 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (82%) and river and rain flooding (14%). 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 Vista 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 Bayou Vista?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bayou Vista’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 Vista?

By FEMA money that reached Bayou Vista, Hurricane Rita (2005): 7 households applied for aid, $22K approved.

Is Bayou Vista at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Bayou Vista’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bayou Vista.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bayou Vista’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.