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CityBar-MauricePhoto: Falkonry (Uploads) · Public domain
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Maurice · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in Maurice than in 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Maurice gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #103 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (56%), then river and rain flooding (41%). Flood insurance has paid 33 claims here since 1978.

Hurricanes 56%River and rain flooding 41%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 95%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#103 of 162 in Louisiana
Hazard risk
D−#103 of 162
in Louisiana · higher than 95% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
56% of expected building damage
Flood claims
33
paid since 1978 · $1.5M
Flooded more than once
4
properties
Disasters paid out here
9
of 34 declared for Vermilion Parish

What stands out about Maurice’s natural hazards

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

Made safer with FEMA grants6 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared; 2 homes raised above flood level; 1 building retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.Remembers 201620 flood claims were paid for 2016 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Maurice faces

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

Hurricanes

56%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

River and rain flooding

41%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Ice storms Strong wind Earthquakes Coastal flooding Wildfire Lightning top 3% Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 Maurice’s grade

Hurricanes are 56% of the building damage FEMA expects in Maurice, and Maurice’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 41% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Maurice sits
Maurice
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #103 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes56%River and rain flooding41%Everything else3%

The typical Louisiana town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Maurice has more expected damage per building than 63% of Louisiana towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Maurice: $985K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Delta in 2020, FEMA took 250 aid registrations from Maurice addresses (the town has 1,009 homes).
Shared tract.All of Maurice’s 2,118 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 Maurice flood? Sometimes: 33 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Maurice, from FEMA’s records: 32.7 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: 2 claims1979: 2 claims1980: 3 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 0 claims1984: 1 claim1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 2 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 2 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: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 20 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims197819802016
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-summer severe storms20 claims · $1.3M
  • The 2021 Mid-Spring Severe Storms1 claim · $26K
33
paid claims since 1978
$1.5M
paid to owners
4
homes flooded more than once
$46K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Vermilion Parish.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
6flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
2homes raised above flood level
1building retrofitted against wind
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Maurice

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

  1. 2020Hurricane Delta250 households applied for aid$270K aid approved
  2. 2020Hurricane Laura207 households applied for aid$254K aid approved
  3. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding726 households applied for aid$3.7M aid approved$242K to the Village of Maurice for repairs20 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2012Hurricane Isaac$3K to the Village of Maurice for repairs
  5. 2008Hurricane Ike51 households applied for aid$26K aid approved
  6. 2008Hurricane Gustav400 households applied for aid$95K aid approved$4K to the Village of Maurice for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2005Hurricane Rita835 households applied for aid$671K aid approved$5K to the Village of Maurice for repairs
  2. 2005Hurricane Katrina11 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
  3. 2002Hurricane Lili$6K to the Village of Maurice for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MauriceVermilion Parish only

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

Add to the Maurice archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Maurice 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 Maurice

Is Maurice at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Maurice has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #103 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (56%) and river and rain flooding (41%). 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 Maurice flood?

Flood insurance has paid 33 claims in Maurice since 1978, $1.5M in all, or 32.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 4 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-summer severe storms (20).

Is Maurice 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 Vermilion Parish, 49% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 25.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Maurice?

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

By FEMA money that reached Maurice, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): 726 households applied for aid, $3.7M approved, and $242K to the Village of Maurice for repairs. By flood claims, Mid-summer severe storms: 20 paid, $1.3M.

Is Maurice at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (56%), and Maurice’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Maurice.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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