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Elton United Methodist ChurchElton United Methodist Church · Photo: Z28scrambler · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Elton · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Elton

Elton isn’t graded for hazard risk: Elton has 862 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1978.

Flood claims
4
paid since 1978 · $88K
Disasters paid out here
10
of 30 declared for Jefferson Davis Parish
By hazard

What Elton 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

51%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

43%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Hail Ice storms Strong wind Earthquakes Coastal flooding Winter storms Lightning top 3% Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 11% of Elton’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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 Elton flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Elton, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 1 claim1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 1 claim1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819882017
19782026
4
paid claims since 1978
$88K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$22K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Jefferson Davis Parish.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Elton

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

  1. 2020Hurricane Delta103 households applied for aid$100K aid approved
  2. 2020Hurricane Laura608 households applied for aid$633K aid approved
  3. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding17 households applied for aid$31K aid approved
  4. 2012Hurricane Isaac10 households applied for aid$7K aid approved
  5. 2008Hurricane Ike65 households applied for aid$55K aid approved$4K to the Town of Elton for repairs
  6. 2008Hurricane Gustav256 households applied for aid$76K aid approved$37K to the Town of Elton for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding37 households applied for aid$49K aid approved
  2. 2005Hurricane Rita1,227 households applied for aid$1.5M aid approved$55K to the Town of Elton for repairs
  3. 2005Hurricane Katrina9 households applied for aid$8K aid approved
  4. 2002Hurricane Lili$12K to the Town of Elton for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EltonJefferson Davis Parish only

Jefferson Davis Parish has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Jefferson Davis Parish, 2000–2000.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Elton archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Elton 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Elton

Does Elton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Elton since 1978, $88K in all.

Is Elton 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 Jefferson Davis Parish, 28% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 7.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Elton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Elton, Hurricane Rita (2005): 1,227 households applied for aid, $1.5M approved, and $55K to the Town of Elton for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Elton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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