Photo: Louisiana Sea Grant College Program Louisiana State University · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Chauvin, mostly from coastal flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chauvin gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (52%), then hurricanes (40%). 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 stands out about Chauvin’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Chauvin faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Coastal flooding
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 Chauvin’s grade
Coastal flooding is 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chauvin, and Chauvin’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 40%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #161 of 162 in Louisiana; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Chauvin’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Louisiana town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Chauvin has more expected damage per building than 99% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.2M a year in losses across Chauvin: $4.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chauvin flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Chauvin. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Chauvin 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.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chauvin
Disasters that paid out in Chauvin itself (aid to households or repair grants to Chauvin), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Tropical Storm Arthur136 households applied for aid$404K aid approved
- 2024Hurricane Francine490 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved
- 2021Hurricane Ida2,242 households applied for aid$18.8M aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Zeta166 households applied for aid$513K aid approved
- 2012Hurricane Isaac238 households applied for aid$342K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Ike748 households applied for aid$1.4M aid approved
Show all 10
- 2008Hurricane Gustav1,500 households applied for aid$2.1M aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Rita2,409 households applied for aid$8.5M aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina1,590 households applied for aid$3.1M aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan4 households applied for aid$355 aid approved
Terrebonne Parish has had 38 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Chauvin after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chauvin archive →Chauvin and its neighbors
Chauvin is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montegut | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | — |
| Chauvin | D−among the highest damage | coastal flooding | 0 |
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 Chauvin faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 Chauvin
Is Chauvin at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chauvin has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (52%) and hurricanes (40%). 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 Chauvin 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 Chauvin?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chauvin’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 Chauvin?
By FEMA money that reached Chauvin, Hurricane Ida (2021): 2,242 households applied for aid, $18.8M approved.
Is Chauvin at risk from coastal flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Chauvin’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chauvin.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chauvin’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.