Storms, floods and disasters in Grand Coteau
Grand Coteau isn’t graded for hazard risk: Grand Coteau has 959 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2012.
What Grand Coteau 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
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
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.
Does Grand Coteau flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2012
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Grand Coteau, from FEMA’s records.
Grand Coteau isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: St. Landry Parish.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Grand Coteau
Disasters that paid out in Grand Coteau itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Grand Coteau), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Tropical Storm Arthur6 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Delta33 households applied for aid$44K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Laura28 households applied for aid$67K aid approved
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding48 households applied for aid$25K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2008Hurricane Gustav117 households applied for aid$75K aid approved$79K to the Town of Grand Coteau for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding13 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
Show all 10
- 2005Hurricane Rita120 households applied for aid$78K aid approved$36K to the Town of Grand Coteau for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Katrina$12K to the Town of Grand Coteau for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding22 households applied for aid$12K aid approved
- 2002Hurricane Lili$11K to the Town of Grand Coteau for repairs
St. Landry Parish has had 35 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Grand Coteau after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Grand Coteau archive →Grand Coteau 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunset | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
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 Grand Coteau faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- 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 Grand Coteau
Does Grand Coteau flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Grand Coteau since 2012, $64K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Grand Coteau 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 St. Landry Parish, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 6.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Grand Coteau?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Grand Coteau’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 Grand Coteau?
By FEMA money that reached Grand Coteau, Hurricane Gustav (2008): 117 households applied for aid, $75K approved, and $79K to the Town of Grand Coteau for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grand Coteau.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Grand Coteau’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.