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Downtown Lafayette LA 2021Photo: TheLionHasSeen · CC BY-SA 4.0
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Lafayette · FEMA

FEMA puts Lafayette’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lafayette gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #85 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (60%), then river and rain flooding (37%). Flood insurance has paid 1,913 claims here since 1978.

Hurricanes 60%River and rain flooding 37%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 94%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#85 of 162 in Louisiana
Hazard risk
D#85 of 162
in Louisiana · higher than 94% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
60% of expected building damage
Flood claims
1,913
paid since 1978 · $105M
Flooded more than once
242
properties · 45 “severe repetitive loss”
Flood insurance
15% off
Community discount (class 7)

What stands out about Lafayette’s natural hazards

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

1,913 paid flood claims since 1978$105M in all; 242 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 89% of U.S. towns.15% off flood insuranceFlood-proofing work earns Lafayette residents a discount through FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7).Made safer with FEMA grants68 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 36 homes raised above flood level; 6 buildings retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.Remembers 2016672 flood claims were paid for 2016 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Lafayette faces

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

Hurricanes

60%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

River and rain flooding

37%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Earthquakes Hail Ice storms Lightning top 2% Strong wind Coastal flooding Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Lafayette’s expected losses. Cold 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 Lafayette’s grade

Hurricanes are 60% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lafayette, and Lafayette’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 37% (higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Lafayette sits
Lafayette
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #85 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Lafayette’s residents live in 44 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes60%River and rain flooding37%Everything else3%

The typical Louisiana town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lafayette has more expected damage per building than 52% of Louisiana towns.

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Lafayette has higher expected damage per building than 89% (#356 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $106M, is the 106th largest of those 400.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Delta in 2020, FEMA took 2,802 aid registrations from Lafayette addresses (the town has 59,363 homes).
A firm figure. It combines 44 census tracts by where Lafayette’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Lafayette flood? Yes: 1,913 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lafayette, from FEMA’s records: 32.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 26 claims1979: 34 claims1980: 145 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 14 claims1983: 3 claims1984: 14 claims1985: 7 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 1 claim1988: 5 claims1989: 40 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 47 claims1992: 6 claims1993: 180 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 91 claims1996: 2 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 40 claims1999: 16 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 22 claims2002: 20 claims2003: 1 claim2004: 27 claims2005: 15 claims2006: 12 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 33 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 6 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 15 claims2013: 2 claims2014: 6 claims2015: 4 claims2016: 672 claims2017: 43 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 89 claims2020: 23 claims2021: 115 claims2022: 6 claims2023: 2 claims2024: 17 claims2025: 107 claims2026: 0 claims198019932016
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-summer severe storms665 claims · $72.1M
  • The 2021 Mid-Spring Severe Storms109 claims · $5.3M
  • Hurricane Laura16 claims · $754K
1,913
paid claims since 1978
$105M
paid to owners
242
homes flooded more than once
$55K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
Each house = 5 homesFEMA “severe repetitive loss” (45)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
Community discount15% off flood insurance

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

Insurance rates: Lafayette Parish.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
68flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
36homes raised above flood level
6buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lafayette

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

  1. 2021Hurricane Ida9 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
  2. 2021Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding498 households applied for aid$581K aid approved
  3. 2020Hurricane Delta2,802 households applied for aid$3.4M aid approved
  4. 2020Hurricane Laura6 households applied for aid$4K aid approved16 flood claims paid for it, $754K
  5. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding5,522 households applied for aid$19.4M aid approved672 flood claims paid that year
  6. 2008Hurricane Ike2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Show all 10
  1. 2008Hurricane Gustav6,701 households applied for aid$1.8M aid approved
  2. 2005Hurricane Rita7,845 households applied for aid$5.9M aid approved14 flood claims paid for it, $531K
  3. 2005Hurricane Katrina576 households applied for aid$601K aid approved
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding265 households applied for aid$306K aid approved27 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in LafayetteLafayette Parish only

Lafayette Parish has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Lafayette archive →
Next door

Lafayette and its neighbors

Lafayette is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Broussard: hazard risk DScott: hazard risk DCarencro: hazard risk DMilton: hazard risk DBroussardScottCarencroMiltonLafayette
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BroussardDmore damage than 92%hurricanes151
ScottDmore damage than 92%hurricanes224
CarencroDmore damage than 93%hurricanes253
LafayetteDmore damage than 94%hurricanes1,913
MiltonDmore damage than 94%hurricanes23

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 Lafayette 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.
  • Lafayette 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 Lafayette

Is Lafayette at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lafayette has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #85 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (60%) and river and rain flooding (37%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Lafayette flood?

Flood insurance has paid 1,913 claims in Lafayette since 1978, $105M in all, or 32.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 242 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-summer severe storms (665).

Is Lafayette 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 Lafayette Parish, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 19.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Lafayette?

Lafayette 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 Lafayette?

By FEMA money that reached Lafayette, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): 5,522 households applied for aid, $19.4M approved. By flood claims, Mid-summer severe storms: 665 paid, $72.1M.

Is Lafayette at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (60%), and Lafayette’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lafayette.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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