Joseph Jefferson House · Photo: Z28scrambler · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Delcambre faces more hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Delcambre gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (60%), then river and rain flooding (32%). Flood insurance has paid 472 claims here since 1978.
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 stands out about Delcambre’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Delcambre faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
Coastal 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.
What’s behind Delcambre’s grade
Hurricanes are 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Delcambre, and Delcambre’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 6%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Delcambre’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Delcambre: $871K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Delcambre flood? Yes: 472 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Delcambre, from FEMA’s records: 503.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Rita225 claims · $10.4M
- Hurricane Ike172 claims · $6.8M
- Hurricane Laura13 claims · $489K
Delcambre isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Vermilion Parish.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Delcambre
Disasters that paid out in Delcambre itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Delcambre), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Hurricane Ida31 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Delta77 households applied for aid$98K aid approved$6K to the Town of Delcambre for repairs
- 2020Hurricane Laura59 households applied for aid$93K aid approved$29K to the Town of Delcambre for repairs13 flood claims paid for it, $489K
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding73 households applied for aid$48K aid approved13 flood claims paid that year
- 2012Hurricane Isaac$6K to the Town of Delcambre for repairs
- 2008Hurricane Ike400 households applied for aid$679K aid approved$162K to the Town of Delcambre for repairs172 flood claims paid for it, $6.8M
Show all 10
- 2008Hurricane Gustav287 households applied for aid$118K aid approved$25K to the Town of Delcambre for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Rita1,359 households applied for aid$7.4M aid approved$1.5M to the Town of Delcambre for repairs225 flood claims paid for it, $10.4M
- 2005Hurricane Katrina14 households applied for aid$22K aid approved
- 2002Hurricane Lili$31K to the Town of Delcambre for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $26K
Vermilion Parish has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Delcambre after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Delcambre archive →Delcambre and its neighbors
Delcambre 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erath | D−more damage than 95% | hurricanes | 659 |
| Delcambre | D−more damage than 96% | hurricanes | 472 |
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 Delcambre 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Delcambre
Is Delcambre at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Delcambre has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (60%) and river and rain flooding (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Delcambre flood?
Flood insurance has paid 472 claims in Delcambre since 1978, $19.1M in all, or 503.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 66 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Rita (225).
Is Delcambre 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 Vermilion Parish, 49% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 25.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Delcambre?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Delcambre’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 Delcambre?
By FEMA money that reached Delcambre, Hurricane Rita (2005): 1,359 households applied for aid, $7.4M approved, and $1.5M to the Town of Delcambre for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Rita: 225 paid, $10.4M.
Is Delcambre at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Delcambre’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Delcambre.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Delcambre’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.