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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bourg · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Bourg, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bourg gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (60%), then coastal flooding (19%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hurricanes 60%Coastal flooding 19%River and rain flooding 19%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Louisiana · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
60% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
9
of 38 declared for Terrebonne Parish

What stands out about Bourg’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Coastal flooding: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 19.2% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way1 home raised above flood level with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Bourg faces

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

Hurricanes

60%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Coastal flooding

19%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

19%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning 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 Bourg’s grade

Hurricanes are 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bourg, and Bourg’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 19%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bourg sits
Bourg
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

Bourg’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes60%Coastal flooding19%River and rain flooding19%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Bourg: $2.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Ida in 2021, FEMA took 1,735 aid registrations from Bourg addresses (the town has 970 homes).
A small-area figure. Bourg covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bourg flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Bourg 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.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1home raised above flood level
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bourg

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

  1. 2026Tropical Storm Arthur40 households applied for aid$114K aid approved
  2. 2024Hurricane Francine259 households applied for aid$352K aid approved
  3. 2021Hurricane Ida1,735 households applied for aid$7.9M aid approved
  4. 2020Hurricane Zeta30 households applied for aid$84K aid approved
  5. 2012Hurricane Isaac146 households applied for aid$235K aid approved
  6. 2008Hurricane Ike149 households applied for aid$182K aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2008Hurricane Gustav964 households applied for aid$633K aid approved
  2. 2005Hurricane Rita417 households applied for aid$339K aid approved
  3. 2005Hurricane Katrina773 households applied for aid$687K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BourgTerrebonne Parish only

Terrebonne Parish has had 38 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Bourg archive →
Next door

Bourg and its neighbors

Bourg is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Presquille: hazard risk D−Bayou Blue: hazard risk D−PresquilleBayou BlueBourg
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Bayou BlueD−more damage than 98%hurricanes16
BourgD−among the highest damagehurricanes0
PresquilleD−among the highest damagehurricanes—

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 Bourg 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 tide surges
  • 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.
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 Bourg

Is Bourg at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bourg has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (60%) and coastal flooding (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Bourg 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 Bourg?

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

By FEMA money that reached Bourg, Hurricane Ida (2021): 1,735 households applied for aid, $7.9M approved.

Is Bourg at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Bourg’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bourg.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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