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DowntownEstherwoodPhoto: Falcanary · Public domain
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Estherwood · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Estherwood

Estherwood isn’t graded for hazard risk: Estherwood has 622 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1980.

Flood claims
20
paid since 1980 · $555K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
9
of 31 declared for Acadia Parish
By hazard

What Estherwood 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

56%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

39%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 Coastal flooding top 5% Hail Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Wildfire Lightning Winter storms 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 8% of Estherwood’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 Estherwood flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1980

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

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 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: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 14 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198019822016
19802026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-summer severe storms14 claims · $414K
  • The 2021 Mid-Spring Severe Storms1 claim · $12K
  • Hurricane Juan1 claim · $22K
20
paid claims since 1980
$555K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$28K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Acadia Parish.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1home raised above flood level
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Estherwood

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

  1. 2020Hurricane Delta57 households applied for aid$69K aid approved
  2. 2020Hurricane Laura65 households applied for aid$47K aid approved
  3. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding95 households applied for aid$280K aid approved$16K to the Village of Estherwood for repairs14 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2008Hurricane Ike14 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  5. 2008Hurricane Gustav67 households applied for aid$51K aid approved
  6. 2005Hurricane Rita297 households applied for aid$442K aid approved$28K to the Village of Estherwood for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2005Hurricane Katrina13 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
  2. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2002Hurricane Lili$5K to the Village of Estherwood for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in EstherwoodAcadia Parish only

Acadia Parish has had 31 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Estherwood archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Estherwood 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 Estherwood

Does Estherwood flood?

Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Estherwood since 1980, $555K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-summer severe storms (14).

Is Estherwood 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 Acadia Parish, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Estherwood?

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

By FEMA money that reached Estherwood, Hurricane Rita (2005): 297 households applied for aid, $442K approved, and $28K to the Village of Estherwood for repairs. By flood claims, Mid-summer severe storms: 14 paid, $414K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Estherwood.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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