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Golden Meadow High SchoolGolden Meadow High School · Photo: Z28scrambler · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Golden Meadow · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Golden Meadow than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Golden Meadow gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (89%). Flood insurance has paid 223 claims here since 1979.

Hurricanes 89%River and rain flooding 9%Tornadoes 1%

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 97%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 97% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
89% of expected building damage
Flood claims
223
paid since 1979 · $2.7M
Flooded more than once
11
properties
Disasters paid out here
16
of 40 declared for Lafourche Parish

What stands out about Golden Meadow’s natural hazards

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

223 paid flood claims since 1979$2.7M in all; 11 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 99% of U.S. towns.Hurricanes: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hurricanes here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 88.8% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants17 homes raised above flood level; 1 building retrofitted against wind; 1 flood-prone home bought out and moved with FEMA grants.Remembers 1985145 flood claims were paid for 1985 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Golden Meadow faces

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

Hurricanes

89%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

9%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Hail Lightning Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Golden Meadow’s grade

Hurricanes are 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Golden Meadow, and Golden Meadow’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 9% (lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Golden Meadow sits
Golden Meadow
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes89%River and rain flooding9%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Golden Meadow: $1.0M 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 1,199 aid registrations from Golden Meadow addresses (the town has 895 homes).
Shared tract.All of Golden Meadow’s 1,761 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 Golden Meadow flood? Yes: 223 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Golden Meadow, from FEMA’s records: 249.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 8 claims1980: 3 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 1 claim1983: 0 claims1984: 5 claims1985: 145 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 1 claim1992: 10 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 4 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 6 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 2 claims2005: 21 claims2006: 3 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 4 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 4 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 2 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198519922005
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Juan142 claims · $1.6M
  • Hurricane Katrina17 claims · $388K
  • Hurricane Andrew8 claims · $64K
223
paid claims since 1979
$2.7M
paid to owners
11
homes flooded more than once
$12K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lafourche Parish.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
17homes raised above flood level
1building retrofitted against wind
1flood-prone home bought out and moved
Disasters

16 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Golden Meadow

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

  1. 2026Tropical Storm Arthur13 households applied for aid$56K aid approved
  2. 2024Hurricane Francine100 households applied for aid$106K aid approved$40K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs
  3. 2021Hurricane Ida1,199 households applied for aid$9.0M aid approved$2.5M to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2020Hurricane Zeta100 households applied for aid$216K aid approved$72K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2019Hurricane Barry$21K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs
  6. 2012Hurricane Isaac267 households applied for aid$239K aid approved$100K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $153K
Show all 16
  1. 2011Tropical Storm Lee$27K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs
  2. 2008Hurricane Ike111 households applied for aid$197K aid approved
  3. 2008Hurricane Gustav640 households applied for aid$842K aid approved$328K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $37K
  4. 2005Hurricane Rita241 households applied for aid$332K aid approved$16K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs
  5. 2005Hurricane Katrina1,171 households applied for aid$2.3M aid approved$228K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs17 flood claims paid for it, $388K
  6. 2005Tropical Storm Cindy$9K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs
  7. 2004Hurricane Ivan3 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$5K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
  8. 2002Hurricane Lili$17K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $35K
  9. 2002Tropical Storm Isidore$11K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs
  10. 2001Tropical Storm Allison$134K to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Golden MeadowLafourche Parish only

Lafourche 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 Golden Meadow after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Golden Meadow archive →
Next door

Golden Meadow and its neighbors

Golden Meadow has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Galliano: hazard risk D−GallianoGolden Meadow
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Golden MeadowD−more damage than 97%hurricanes223
GallianoD−more damage than 98%hurricanes—

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Golden Meadow 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 Golden Meadow

Is Golden Meadow at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Golden Meadow has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (89%) and river and rain flooding (9%). 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 Golden Meadow flood?

Flood insurance has paid 223 claims in Golden Meadow since 1979, $2.7M in all, or 249.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 11 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Juan (142).

Is Golden Meadow 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 Lafourche Parish, 23.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Golden Meadow?

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

By FEMA money that reached Golden Meadow, Hurricane Ida (2021): 1,199 households applied for aid, $9.0M approved, and $2.5M to the Town of Golden Meadow for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Juan: 142 paid, $1.6M.

Is Golden Meadow at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Golden Meadow’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Golden Meadow.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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