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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Killian · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Killian, led by river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Killian gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (38%), then hurricanes (35%). Flood insurance has paid 456 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 38%Hurricanes 35%Coastal flooding 25%

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
River and rain flooding
38% of expected building damage
Flood claims
456
paid since 1979 · $14.4M
Flooded more than once
105
properties · 36 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
8
of 40 declared for Livingston Parish

What stands out about Killian’s natural hazards

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

456 paid flood claims since 1979$14.4M in all; 105 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 99% of U.S. towns.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 25.3% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way18 homes raised above flood level; 6 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 2016114 flood claims were paid for 2016 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Killian 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

38%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hurricanes

35%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

Coastal flooding

25%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves top 3% 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 Killian’s grade

River and rain flooding is 38% of the building damage FEMA expects in Killian, and Killian’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 35%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Killian sits
Killian
Least damageMiddleMost damage

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

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding38%Hurricanes35%Coastal flooding25%Everything else2%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Killian: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Killian’s 1,177 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 Killian flood? Yes: 456 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Killian, from FEMA’s records: 486.1 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: 3 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 6 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 5 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 1 claim1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 3 claims1992: 5 claims1993: 7 claims1994: 1 claim1995: 1 claim1996: 3 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 15 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 10 claims2002: 19 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 16 claims2005: 34 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 41 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 1 claim2011: 22 claims2012: 90 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 2 claims2016: 114 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 54 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201220162021
19792026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-summer severe storms110 claims · $5.5M
  • Hurricane Isaac89 claims · $3.5M
  • Hurricane Ida49 claims · $1.5M
456
paid claims since 1979
$14.4M
paid to owners
105
homes flooded more than once
$32K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
Each house = 2 homesFEMA “severe repetitive loss” (36)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Killian 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
18homes raised above flood level
6flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Killian

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

  1. 2021Hurricane Ida17 households applied for aid$38K aid approved$26K to the Town of Killian for repairs49 flood claims paid for it, $1.5M
  2. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding27 households applied for aid$51K aid approved$95K to the Town of Killian for repairs
  3. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding$9K to the Town of Killian for repairs
  4. 2012Hurricane Isaac2 households applied for aid$14K to the Town of Killian for repairs89 flood claims paid for it, $3.5M
  5. 2008Hurricane Gustav$31K to the Town of Killian for repairs41 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2005Hurricane Katrina1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$35K to the Town of Killian for repairs34 flood claims paid that year
Show all 8
  1. 2002Hurricane Lili$3K to the Town of Killian for repairs19 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2001Tropical Storm Allison$4K to the Town of Killian for repairs10 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KillianLivingston 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 Killian after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Killian archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Killian 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 ↗
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 ↗
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 Killian

Is Killian at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Killian has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (38%) and hurricanes (35%). 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 Killian flood?

Flood insurance has paid 456 claims in Killian since 1979, $14.4M in all, or 486.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 105 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-summer severe storms (110).

Is Killian 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 Killian?

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

By FEMA money that reached Killian, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): 27 households applied for aid, $51K approved, and $95K to the Town of Killian for repairs. By flood claims, Mid-summer severe storms: 110 paid, $5.5M.

Is Killian at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (38%), and Killian’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Killian.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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