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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Cut Off · FEMA

FEMA puts Cut Off’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cut Off gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #124 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (87%), then river and rain flooding (11%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hurricanes 87%River and rain flooding 11%Tornadoes 1%

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

more than 97%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#124 of 162 in Louisiana
Hazard risk
D−#124 of 162
in Louisiana · higher than 97% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
10
of 40 declared for Lafourche Parish

What stands out about Cut Off’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Hurricanes: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hurricanes here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 87.0% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants14 homes raised above flood level; 8 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 1 building retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Cut Off faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

87%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

11%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Earthquakes Coastal flooding Lightning Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Cut Off’s grade

Hurricanes are 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Cut Off, and Cut Off’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 11% (lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Cut Off sits
Cut Off
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #124 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Cut Off’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes87%River and rain flooding11%Everything else2%

The typical Louisiana town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Cut Off has more expected damage per building than 76% of Louisiana towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.5M a year in losses across Cut Off: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Ida in 2021, FEMA took 3,399 aid registrations from Cut Off addresses (the town has 2,382 homes).
A small-area figure. Cut Off covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Cut Off flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Cut Off. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

Cut Off 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.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
14homes raised above flood level
8flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
1building retrofitted against wind
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Cut Off

Disasters that paid out in Cut Off itself (aid to households or repair grants to Cut Off), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2026Tropical Storm Arthur41 households applied for aid$159K aid approved
  2. 2024Hurricane Francine282 households applied for aid$475K aid approved
  3. 2021Hurricane Ida3,399 households applied for aid$18.1M aid approved
  4. 2020Hurricane Zeta108 households applied for aid$149K aid approved
  5. 2012Hurricane Isaac493 households applied for aid$315K aid approved
  6. 2008Hurricane Ike89 households applied for aid$135K aid approved
Show all 10
  1. 2008Hurricane Gustav1,133 households applied for aid$638K aid approved
  2. 2005Hurricane Rita415 households applied for aid$308K aid approved
  3. 2005Hurricane Katrina3,007 households applied for aid$3.3M aid approved
  4. 2004Hurricane Ivan2 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Cut OffLafourche Parish only

Lafourche Parish has had 40 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Were you here?

Old photos of Cut Off after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Cut Off archive →
Next door

Cut Off and its neighbors

Cut Off has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Larose: hazard risk D−Galliano: hazard risk D−LaroseGallianoCut Off
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Cut OffD−more damage than 97%hurricanes0
LaroseD−more damage than 97%hurricanes250
GallianoD−more damage than 98%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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Cut Off faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Cut Off

Is Cut Off at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cut Off has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #124 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (87%) and river and rain flooding (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Is Cut Off 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 Cut Off?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cut Off’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 Cut Off?

By FEMA money that reached Cut Off, Hurricane Ida (2021): 3,399 households applied for aid, $18.1M approved.

Is Cut Off at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Cut Off’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cut Off.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cut Off’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.