Storms, floods and disasters in Choctaw
Choctaw isn’t graded for hazard risk: Choctaw has 268 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 92 claims here since 1980.
What Choctaw faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Coastal flooding
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.
Does Choctaw flood? Sometimes: 92 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Choctaw, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ida56 claims · $5.4M
- Tropical Storm Allison12 claims · $37K
- Hurricane Francine9 claims · $389K
Choctaw isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lafourche Parish.The storms Choctaw remembers
None of the 40 disasters declared for Lafourche Parish shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Choctaw itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 202156 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Nicholas, declared for Lafourche Parish
- 200112 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Allison, declared for Lafourche Parish
- 20249 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Francine, declared for Lafourche Parish
Lafourche Parish has had 40 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Choctaw after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Choctaw archive →Choctaw and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kraemer | D−among the highest damage | hurricanes | — |
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 Choctaw 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.
- 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.
- 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 Choctaw
Does Choctaw flood?
Flood insurance has paid 92 claims in Choctaw since 1980, $5.9M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (56).
Is Choctaw 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 Lafourche Parish, 23.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Choctaw?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Choctaw’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 Choctaw?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 56 paid, $5.4M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Choctaw.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Choctaw’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.