Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Belle Chasse’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belle Chasse gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #138 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (80%), then river and rain flooding (17%). Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1988.
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 Belle Chasse’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Belle Chasse 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 Belle Chasse’s grade
Hurricanes are 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Belle Chasse, and Belle Chasse’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 17% (lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts).
D− #138 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Belle Chasse’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, Belle Chasse has more expected damage per building than 85% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $12.8M a year in losses across Belle Chasse: $11.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Belle Chasse flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1988
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belle Chasse, from FEMA’s records: 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Katrina3 claims · $146K
- Hurricane Ida3 claims · $27K
- Hurricane Isaac2 claims · $12K
Belle Chasse isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Plaquemines Parish.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Belle Chasse
Disasters that paid out in Belle Chasse itself (aid to households or repair grants to Belle Chasse), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Hurricane Ida4,809 households applied for aid$5.4M aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $27K
- 2020Hurricane Zeta286 households applied for aid$229K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2012Hurricane Isaac2,440 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $12K
- 2008Hurricane Ike86 households applied for aid$57K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Gustav1,631 households applied for aid$333K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Rita457 households applied for aid$474K aid approved
Show all 8
- 2005Hurricane Katrina7,388 households applied for aid$27.2M aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $146K
- 2004Hurricane Ivan45 households applied for aid$45K aid approved
Plaquemines Parish has had 33 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms.
Old photos of Belle Chasse after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Belle Chasse archive →Belle Chasse and its neighbors
Belle Chasse is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodmere | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 1,474 |
| Terrytown | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 2,196 |
| Belle Chasse | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 20 |
| New Orleans Station | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 71 |
| Timberlane | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 2,089 |
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 Belle Chasse 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 Belle Chasse
Is Belle Chasse at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belle Chasse has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #138 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (80%) and river and rain flooding (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Belle Chasse flood?
Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Belle Chasse since 1988, $563K in all, or 4.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 57% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Katrina (3).
Is Belle Chasse 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 Plaquemines Parish, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 51.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Belle Chasse?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Belle Chasse’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 Belle Chasse?
By FEMA money that reached Belle Chasse, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 7,388 households applied for aid, $27.2M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Katrina: 3 paid, $146K.
Is Belle Chasse at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Belle Chasse’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belle Chasse.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Belle Chasse’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.