Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to French Settlement

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
Decreaux Creole MuseumPhoto: Z28scrambler · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in French Settlement · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, French Settlement faces more hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, French Settlement gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (54%), then river and rain flooding (43%). Flood insurance has paid 180 claims here since 1985.

Hurricanes 54%River and rain flooding 43%Tornadoes 2%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Louisiana · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
54% of expected building damage
Flood claims
180
paid since 1985 · $11.5M
Flooded more than once
20
properties · 4 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
9
of 40 declared for Livingston Parish

What stands out about French Settlement’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

180 paid flood claims since 1985$11.5M in all; 20 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 99% of U.S. towns.Hurricanes: the top 3% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hurricanes here ranks in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts; it is 53.7% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants19 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 10 homes raised above flood level; 1 storm safe room built with FEMA grants.Remembers 2016104 flood claims were paid for 2016 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What French Settlement faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

54%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

43%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Coastal flooding top 4% Hail Earthquakes Strong wind Ice storms Cold waves top 3% Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind French Settlement’s grade

Hurricanes are 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in French Settlement, and French Settlement’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 43%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.

Where French Settlement sits
French Settlement
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of French Settlement’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes54%River and rain flooding43%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $988K a year in losses across French Settlement: $787K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Ida in 2021, FEMA took 505 aid registrations from French Settlement addresses (the town has 467 homes) and flood insurance paid 1 claims for $37K.
Shared tract.All of French Settlement’s 1,073 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does French Settlement flood? Yes: 180 flood claims since 1985

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in French Settlement, from FEMA’s records: 385.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 1 claim1989: 0 claims1990: 2 claims1991: 2 claims1992: 2 claims1993: 7 claims1994: 2 claims1995: 8 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 1 claim1998: 4 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 26 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 15 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 104 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200120122016
19852026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-summer severe storms102 claims · $10.4M
  • Tropical Storm Allison26 claims · $476K
  • Hurricane Isaac15 claims · $319K
180
paid claims since 1985
$11.5M
paid to owners
20
homes flooded more than once
$64K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (4)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Livingston Parish.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
19flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
10homes raised above flood level
1storm safe room built
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to French Settlement

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

  1. 2021Hurricane Ida505 households applied for aid$743K aid approved$82K to the Village of French Settlement for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $37K
  2. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding610 households applied for aid$4.3M aid approved$288K to the Village of French Settlement for repairs
  3. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding31 households applied for aid$13K aid approved$8K to the Village of French Settlement for repairs
  4. 2012Hurricane Isaac166 households applied for aid$330K aid approved$13K to the Village of French Settlement for repairs15 flood claims paid for it, $319K
  5. 2008Hurricane Ike13 households applied for aid$24K aid approved$4K to the Village of French Settlement for repairs
  6. 2008Hurricane Gustav214 households applied for aid$227K aid approved$18K to the Village of French Settlement for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2005Hurricane Rita46 households applied for aid$45K aid approved
  2. 2005Hurricane Katrina312 households applied for aid$300K aid approved$13K to the Village of French Settlement for repairs
  3. 2002Hurricane Lili$3K to the Village of French Settlement for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in French SettlementLivingston Parish only

Livingston Parish has had 40 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the French Settlement archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what French Settlement faces

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

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 ↗
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 ↗
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 French Settlement

Is French Settlement at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, French Settlement has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (54%) and river and rain flooding (43%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does French Settlement flood?

Flood insurance has paid 180 claims in French Settlement since 1985, $11.5M in all, or 385.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 20 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-summer severe storms (102).

Is French Settlement 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 Livingston Parish, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 26.6% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in French Settlement?

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

By FEMA money that reached French Settlement, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): 610 households applied for aid, $4.3M approved, and $288K to the Village of French Settlement for repairs. By flood claims, Mid-summer severe storms: 102 paid, $10.4M.

Is French Settlement at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and French Settlement’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in French Settlement.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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