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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Calhoun · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Calhoun

Calhoun isn’t graded for hazard risk: Calhoun has 420 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
4
of 34 declared for Ouachita Parish
By hazard

What Calhoun 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

80%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Ice storms top 4% Tornadoes Earthquakes Hurricanes Hail Strong wind Wildfire Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 19% of Calhoun’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (4.4%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Calhoun flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Calhoun. 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

Calhoun isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Ouachita Parish.
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Calhoun

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms5 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  2. 2020Hurricane Laura342 households applied for aid$108K aid approved
  3. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding85 households applied for aid$80K aid approved
  4. 2008Hurricane Gustav18 households applied for aid$14K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in CalhounOuachita Parish only

Ouachita 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 Calhoun after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Calhoun archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Calhoun faces

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

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 Calhoun

Is Calhoun 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 Ouachita Parish, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 7.5% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Calhoun?

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

By FEMA money that reached Calhoun, Hurricane Laura (2020): 342 households applied for aid, $108K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Calhoun.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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