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Jena, LouisianaPhoto: Rgmccoy04 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Jena · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Jena faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jena gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #46 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then hurricanes (10%). Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1987.

River and rain flooding 72%Hurricanes 10%Tornadoes 9%

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 56%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#46 of 162 in Louisiana
Hazard risk
C+#46 of 162
in Louisiana · higher than 56% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
72% of expected building damage
Flood claims
8
paid since 1987 · $541K
Flooded more than once
2
properties
Disasters paid out here
7
of 30 declared for La Salle Parish
By hazard

What Jena 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

72%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Hurricanes

10%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 14 years in the area

Tornadoes

9%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Hail Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Cold waves Wildfire 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 heat waves at 13% of Jena’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Jena’s grade

River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jena, and Jena’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 10% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Jena sits
Jena
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #46 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding72%Hurricanes10%Tornadoes9%Everything else9%

The typical Louisiana town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Jena has less expected damage per building than 72% of Louisiana towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Jena: $940K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Laura in 2020, FEMA took 759 aid registrations from Jena addresses (the town has 1,681 homes).
Shared tract.All of Jena’s 4,155 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Midway CDP (1,157 residents) and Good Pine CDP (259 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 Jena flood? Rarely: 8 flood claims since 1987

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jena, from FEMA’s records: 4.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 1 claim1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 2 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198719912009
19872026
Biggest named events
  • The Late winter severe storms1 claim · $212K
  • Hurricane Delta1 claim · $195K
8
paid claims since 1987
$541K
paid to owners
2
homes flooded more than once
$68K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: La Salle Parish.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jena

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

  1. 2021Severe Winter Storms21 households applied for aid$31K aid approved
  2. 2020Hurricane Laura759 households applied for aid$237K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding55 households applied for aid$57K aid approved$20K to the Town of Jena for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  4. 2008Hurricane Gustav211 households applied for aid$145K aid approved$52K to the Town of Jena for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding9 households applied for aid$13K aid approved
  6. 2005Hurricane Rita$11K to the Town of Jena for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2005Hurricane Katrina$50K to the Town of Jena for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in JenaLa Salle Parish only

La Salle Parish has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Jena archive →
Next door

Jena and its neighbors

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

Midway: not gradedGood Pine: not gradedMidwayGood PineJena
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
JenaC+more damage than 56%river and rain flooding8
Midway—937 residents; we grade 1,000+
Good Pine—791 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 Jena 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • 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.
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 Jena

Is Jena at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jena has higher expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #46 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and hurricanes (10%). 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 Jena flood?

Flood insurance has paid 8 claims in Jena since 1987, $541K in all, or 4.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 59% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Late winter severe storms (1).

Is Jena 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 La Salle Parish, 1.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Jena?

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

By FEMA money that reached Jena, Hurricane Laura (2020): 759 households applied for aid, $237K approved. By flood claims, Late winter severe storms: 1 paid, $212K.

Is Jena at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Jena’s rate for it is higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jena.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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