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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Mathews · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Mathews than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mathews gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (82%), then river and rain flooding (15%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 2002.

Hurricanes 82%River and rain flooding 15%Tornadoes 2%

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 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Louisiana · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
82% of expected building damage
Flood claims
10
paid since 2002 · $474K
Disasters paid out here
6
of 40 declared for Lafourche Parish

What stands out about Mathews’ natural hazards

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

Hurricanes: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hurricanes here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 81.5% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants1 building retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Mathews faces

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

Hurricanes

82%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

15%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves 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 tornadoes at 10% of Mathews’ expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (2.0%), 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 Mathews’ grade

Hurricanes are 82% of the building damage FEMA expects in Mathews, and Mathews’ rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 15% (lower than 61% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Mathews sits
Mathews
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Mathews’ residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes82%River and rain flooding15%Everything else3%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Mathews: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Mathews covers 2 census tracts, combined by where 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 Mathews flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 2002

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mathews, from FEMA’s records: 13.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 7 claims200220092026
20022026
Biggest named events
  • The 2026-06-Arthur-TS7 claims · $434K
  • Hurricane Ida1 claim · $3K
  • Tropical Storm Isidore1 claim · $29K
10
paid claims since 2002
$474K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$47K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lafourche Parish.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1building retrofitted against wind
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mathews

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Francine7 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  2. 2021Hurricane Ida59 households applied for aid$76K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $3K
  3. 2012Hurricane Isaac3 households applied for aid$31K aid approved
  4. 2008Hurricane Gustav23 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
  5. 2005Hurricane Rita8 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
  6. 2005Hurricane Katrina43 households applied for aid$24K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MathewsLafourche Parish only

Lafourche 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 Mathews after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Mathews archive →
Next door

Mathews and its neighbors

Mathews has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Raceland: hazard risk D−Lockport Heights: hazard risk D−RacelandLockport HeightsMathews
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MathewsD−more damage than 98%hurricanes10
Lockport HeightsD−more damage than 98%hurricanes—
RacelandD−more damage than 98%hurricanes360

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 Mathews 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.
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 Mathews

Is Mathews at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Mathews has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (82%) and river and rain flooding (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Mathews flood?

Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Mathews since 2002, $474K in all, or 13.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 79% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from 2026-06-Arthur-TS (7).

Is Mathews 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 Lafourche Parish, 23.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Mathews?

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

By FEMA money that reached Mathews, Hurricane Ida (2021): 59 households applied for aid, $76K approved. By flood claims, 2026-06-Arthur-TS: 7 paid, $434K.

Is Mathews at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (82%), and Mathews’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mathews.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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