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Intracoastal Waterway at Bayou BaratariaPhoto: Lane Lefort, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Public domain
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Jean Lafitte · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Jean Lafitte than almost anywhere in the U.S., led by hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jean Lafitte gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (45%), then coastal flooding (36%). Flood insurance has paid 675 claims here since 1982.

Hurricanes 45%Coastal flooding 36%River and rain flooding 18%

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

among the highestof U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Louisiana · among the highest of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
45% of expected building damage
Flood claims
675
paid since 1982 · $29.5M
Flooded more than once
103
properties · 23 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
15% off
Community discount (class 7)

What stands out about Jean Lafitte’s natural hazards

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

675 paid flood claims since 1982$29.5M in all; 103 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 100% of U.S. towns.15% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Jean Lafitte residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7).Coastal flooding: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 35.9% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way41 homes raised above flood level with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Jean Lafitte faces

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

Hurricanes

45%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Coastal flooding

36%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hail Tornadoes Earthquakes Wildfire Strong wind Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
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 Jean Lafitte’s grade

Hurricanes are 45% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jean Lafitte, and Jean Lafitte’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 36%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Jean Lafitte sits
Jean Lafitte
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes45%Coastal flooding36%River and rain flooding18%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Jean Lafitte: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Jean Lafitte’s 1,809 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Barataria CDP (1,057 residents) and Lafitte CDP (1,014 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. 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 Jean Lafitte flood? Yes: 675 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jean Lafitte, from FEMA’s records: 765.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 2 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 11 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 1 claim1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 1 claim1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 13 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 9 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 4 claims2005: 92 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 1 claim2008: 163 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 9 claims2012: 109 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 1 claim2020: 0 claims2021: 255 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200820122021
19822026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ida255 claims · $16.0M
  • Hurricane Ike155 claims · $5.8M
  • Hurricane Isaac107 claims · $3.8M
675
paid claims since 1982
$29.5M
paid to owners
103
homes flooded more than once
$44K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
Each house = 2 homesFEMA “severe repetitive loss” (23)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
Community discount15% off flood insurance

Jean Lafitte is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Jefferson Parish.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
41homes raised above flood level
Disasters

15 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jean Lafitte

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Francine1 households applied for aid$629 aid approved$6K to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs
  2. 2021Hurricane Ida27 households applied for aid$84K aid approved$4.3M to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs255 flood claims paid for it, $16.0M
  3. 2020Hurricane Zeta1 households applied for aid$72K to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs
  4. 2019Hurricane Barry$8K to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2012Hurricane Isaac5 households applied for aid$16K aid approved$84K to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs107 flood claims paid for it, $3.8M
  6. 2011Tropical Storm Lee$328K to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs9 flood claims paid that year
Show all 15
  1. 2008Hurricane Ike1 households applied for aid$1.3M to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs155 flood claims paid for it, $5.8M
  2. 2008Hurricane Gustav$812K to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs
  3. 2005Hurricane Rita$580K to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs66 flood claims paid for it, $2.4M
  4. 2005Hurricane Katrina1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$2.0M to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs22 flood claims paid for it, $613K
  5. 2005Tropical Storm Cindy$19K to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs
  6. 2004Hurricane Ivan$4K to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
  7. 2002Hurricane Lili$149K to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs
  8. 2002Tropical Storm Isidore$24K to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs
  9. 2001Tropical Storm Allison$24K to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Jean LafitteJefferson Parish only

Jefferson Parish has had 37 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Jean Lafitte archive →
Next door

Jean Lafitte and its neighbors

Jean Lafitte has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Barataria: not gradedLafitte: not gradedBaratariaLafitteJean Lafitte
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Jean LafitteD−among the highest damagehurricanes675
Barataria—544 residents; we grade 1,000+
Lafitte—488 residents; we grade 1,000+

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 Jean Lafitte 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 tide surges
  • Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
  • Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
  • Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
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.
  • Jean Lafitte residents get 15% off flood insurance.
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 Jean Lafitte

Is Jean Lafitte at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jean Lafitte has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (45%) and coastal flooding (36%). 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 Jean Lafitte flood?

Flood insurance has paid 675 claims in Jean Lafitte since 1982, $29.5M in all, or 765.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 103 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (255).

Is Jean Lafitte 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 Jefferson Parish, 64.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Jean Lafitte?

Jean Lafitte is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Jean Lafitte?

By FEMA money that reached Jean Lafitte, Hurricane Ida (2021): 27 households applied for aid, $84K approved, and $4.3M to the Town of Jean Lafitte for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 255 paid, $16.0M.

Is Jean Lafitte at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (45%), and Jean Lafitte’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jean Lafitte.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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