St. Patrick's Catholic Church · Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Empire
Empire isn’t graded for hazard risk: Empire has 988 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Empire faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
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. 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 Empire flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Empire. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Empire isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Plaquemines Parish.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Empire
Disasters that paid out in Empire itself (aid to households or repair grants to Empire), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Hurricane Ida41 households applied for aid$161K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Zeta5 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2012Hurricane Isaac72 households applied for aid$100K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Ike13 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Gustav77 households applied for aid$38K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Rita254 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved
Show all 9
- 2005Hurricane Katrina827 households applied for aid$8.9M aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina1 households applied for aid$670 aid approved
- 2004Hurricane Ivan187 households applied for aid$199K aid approved
Plaquemines Parish has had 33 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms.
Old photos of Empire after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Empire archive →Empire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Sulphur | D−more damage than 96% | hurricanes | 428 |
| Buras | — | 607 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Empire 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.
- 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 Empire
Is Empire 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 Plaquemines Parish, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 51.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Empire?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Empire’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 Empire?
By FEMA money that reached Empire, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 827 households applied for aid, $8.9M approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Empire.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Empire’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.