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Forest Hill, LA, water tower IMG 0147Photo: Hot Furnace · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Forest Hill · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Forest Hill

Forest Hill isn’t graded for hazard risk: Forest Hill has 727 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 35 declared for Rapides Parish
By hazard

What Forest Hill 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

74%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

14%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 9 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Wildfire Tornadoes Earthquakes Hail Ice storms Strong wind Winter storms Cold waves top 4% Lightning 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 cold waves at 14% of Forest Hill’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), 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 Forest Hill flood? No paid flood claims on record

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

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Rapides Parish.
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Forest Hill

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms5 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  2. 2020Hurricane Delta17 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
  3. 2020Hurricane Laura195 households applied for aid$86K aid approved
  4. 2008Hurricane Gustav142 households applied for aid$125K aid approved$43K to the Village of Forest Hill for repairs
  5. 2005Hurricane Rita$15K to the Village of Forest Hill for repairs
  6. 2002Hurricane Lili$6K to the Village of Forest Hill for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Forest HillRapides Parish only

Rapides Parish has had 35 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Rapides Parish, 2000–2023.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Forest Hill archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Forest Hill 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 Forest Hill

Is Forest Hill 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 Rapides Parish, 5.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Forest Hill?

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

By FEMA money that reached Forest Hill, Hurricane Gustav (2008): 142 households applied for aid, $125K approved, and $43K to the Village of Forest Hill for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Forest Hill.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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