Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0For strong wind, Coushatta’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coushatta gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%), then strong wind (13%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2012.
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 Coushatta 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
Strong wind
Tornadoes
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 Coushatta’s grade
River and rain flooding is 55% of the building damage FEMA expects in Coushatta, and Coushatta’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 13%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Coushatta’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $892K a year in losses across Coushatta: $528K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Coushatta flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2012
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Coushatta, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 73% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Coushatta isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Red River Parish.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Coushatta
Disasters that paid out in Coushatta itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Coushatta), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms76 households applied for aid$73K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Laura21 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding58 households applied for aid$78K aid approved
Red River Parish has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Red River Parish, 2000–2000.
Old photos of Coushatta after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Coushatta archive →Coushatta and its neighbors
Coushatta has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coushatta | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Edgefield | — | 203 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Coushatta 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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 Coushatta
Is Coushatta at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Coushatta has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (55%) and strong wind (13%). 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.
Does Coushatta flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Coushatta since 2012, $104K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 73% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Coushatta 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 Red River Parish, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Coushatta?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Coushatta’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 Coushatta?
By FEMA money that reached Coushatta, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): 58 households applied for aid, $78K approved.
Is Coushatta at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (55%), and Coushatta’s rate for it is lower than 56% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Coushatta.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Coushatta’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.