Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Cullen
Cullen isn’t graded for hazard risk: Cullen has 758 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Cullen 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
Ice storms
Hail
Strong wind
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 Cullen flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cullen. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Cullen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Webster Parish.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cullen
Disasters that paid out in Cullen itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Cullen), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms5 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding12 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
- 2009Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$5K to the Town of Cullen for repairs
- 2000Severe Winter Ice Storm$28K to the Town of Cullen for repairs
Webster Parish has had 27 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms.
Old photos of Cullen after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cullen archive →Cullen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springhill | C+more damage than 56% | river and rain flooding | 15 |
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 Cullen 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.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Cullen
Is Cullen 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 Webster Parish, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cullen?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cullen’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 Cullen?
By FEMA money that reached Cullen, Severe Winter Ice Storm (2000): $28K to the Town of Cullen for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cullen.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cullen’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.