FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Brownfields than in 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brownfields gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #65 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then hurricanes (19%). 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 Brownfields faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
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 Brownfields’ grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Brownfields, and Brownfields’ rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 19% (higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts).
D #65 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Brownfields’ 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, Brownfields has less expected damage per building than 60% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.2M a year in losses across Brownfields: $2.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Brownfields flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Brownfields. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Brownfields isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: East Baton Rouge Parish.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Brownfields
Disasters that paid out in Brownfields itself (aid to households or repair grants to Brownfields), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Hurricane Ida2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
East Baton Rouge Parish has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Brownfields after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Brownfields archive →Brownfields and its neighbors
Brownfields is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 5,396 |
| Baker | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 421 |
| Brownfields | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Central | Dmore damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 1,869 |
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 Brownfields faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Brownfields
Is Brownfields at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Brownfields has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #65 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and hurricanes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Brownfields 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 East Baton Rouge Parish, 57% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 24.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Brownfields?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Brownfields’ 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 Brownfields?
By FEMA money that reached Brownfields, Hurricane Ida (2021): 2 households applied for aid, $3K approved.
Is Brownfields at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Brownfields’ rate for it is in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Brownfields.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Brownfields’ 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.