Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Downsville

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Downsville, Louisiana 03Photo: Ktkvtsh · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Downsville · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Downsville

Downsville isn’t graded for hazard risk: Downsville has 223 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
2
of 28 declared for Union Parish
By hazard

What Downsville 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

71%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 66% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Ice storms

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Hail Hurricanes Wildfire Lightning Winter storms Cold waves top 5% Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts strong wind at 12% of Downsville’s expected losses. Strong wind does little damage to buildings (3.8%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Downsville flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Downsville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Union Parish.
Disasters

2 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Downsville

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

  1. 2020Hurricane Laura422 households applied for aid$109K aid approved
  2. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding98 households applied for aid$154K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in DownsvilleUnion Parish only

Union Parish has had 28 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Downsville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Downsville faces

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

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 ↗
Ice storms
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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 Downsville

Is Downsville 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 Union Parish, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.7% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Downsville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Downsville, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): 98 households applied for aid, $154K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Downsville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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