Muller's Department Store · Photo: CTtcg · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Lake Charles’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 92% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Charles gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #79 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (49%), then river and rain flooding (42%). Flood insurance has paid 3,560 claims here since 1979.
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
What stands out about Lake Charles’ natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lake Charles faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
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.
What’s behind Lake Charles’ grade
Hurricanes are 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lake Charles, and Lake Charles’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D #79 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Lake Charles’ residents live in 28 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Louisiana town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lake Charles has less expected damage per building than 52% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $64.2M a year in losses across Lake Charles: $55.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lake Charles flood? Yes: 3,560 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lake Charles, from FEMA’s records: 87.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The 2021 Mid-Spring Severe Storms1,110 claims · $75.4M
- Hurricane Delta481 claims · $30.5M
- Hurricane Ike330 claims · $30.8M
Lake Charles isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Calcasieu Parish.13 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lake Charles
Disasters that paid out in Lake Charles itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Lake Charles), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Hurricane Ida5 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2021Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3,145 households applied for aid$7.3M aid approved$1.5M to the City of Lake Charles for repairs
- 2021Severe Winter Storms769 households applied for aid$397K aid approved$535K to the City of Lake Charles for repairs
- 2020Hurricane Delta15,640 households applied for aid$14.1M aid approved$3.1M to the City of Lake Charles for repairs481 flood claims paid for it, $30.5M
- 2020Hurricane Laura67,805 households applied for aid$110M aid approved$178M to the City of Lake Charles for repairs32 flood claims paid for it, $1.5M
- 2017Tropical Storm Harvey$179K to the City of Lake Charles for repairs74 flood claims paid for it, $3.7M
Show all 13
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding75 households applied for aid$47K aid approved19 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Hurricane Ike14,889 households applied for aid$6.5M aid approved$1.8M to the City of Lake Charles for repairs330 flood claims paid for it, $30.8M
- 2008Hurricane Gustav13,351 households applied for aid$560K aid approved$395K to the City of Lake Charles for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding448 households applied for aid$1.1M aid approved$11K to the City of Lake Charles for repairs38 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Hurricane Rita71,203 households applied for aid$153M aid approved$14.2M to the City of Lake Charles for repairs171 flood claims paid for it, $11.8M
- 2005Hurricane Katrina701 households applied for aid$940K aid approved$436K to the City of Lake Charles for repairs
- 2002Hurricane Lili$152K to the City of Lake Charles for repairs33 flood claims paid that year
Calcasieu Parish has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Calcasieu Parish, 2000–2000.
Old photos of Lake Charles after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lake Charles archive →Lake Charles and its neighbors
Lake Charles is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moss Bluff | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 174 |
| Prien | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 390 |
| Lake Charles | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 3,560 |
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 Lake Charles faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Lake Charles
Is Lake Charles at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Charles has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #79 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (49%) and river and rain flooding (42%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Lake Charles flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3,560 claims in Lake Charles since 1979, $172M in all, or 87.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 641 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from 2021 Mid-Spring Severe Storms (1,110).
Is Lake Charles 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 Calcasieu Parish, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 16.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lake Charles?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lake Charles’ 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 Lake Charles?
By FEMA money that reached Lake Charles, Hurricane Laura (2020): 67,805 households applied for aid, $110M approved, and $178M to the City of Lake Charles for repairs. By flood claims, 2021 Mid-Spring Severe Storms: 1,110 paid, $75.4M.
Is Lake Charles at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Lake Charles’ rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake Charles.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lake Charles’ 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.