On FEMA’s figures, Claiborne faces less hazard damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Claiborne gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns, #29 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2011.
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 Claiborne 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
Tornadoes
Earthquakes
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 Claiborne’s grade
River and rain flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Claiborne, and Claiborne’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 4%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B #29 of 162 in Louisiana; lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Claiborne’s residents live in 6 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, Claiborne has less expected damage per building than 83% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.0M a year in losses across Claiborne: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Claiborne flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Claiborne, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Claiborne 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.The storms Claiborne remembers
None of the 34 disasters declared for Ouachita Parish shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Claiborne itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20112 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20252 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Ouachita Parish has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Claiborne after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Claiborne archive →Claiborne and its neighbors
Claiborne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Monroe | A−less damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 649 |
| Claiborne | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
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 Claiborne 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Claiborne
Is Claiborne at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Claiborne has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #29 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (76%) and tornadoes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Claiborne flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Claiborne since 2011, $400K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Claiborne 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 Claiborne?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Claiborne’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Claiborne at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Claiborne’s rate for it is higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Claiborne.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Claiborne’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.