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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Melville · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Melville

Melville isn’t graded for hazard risk: Melville has 589 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
11
of 35 declared for St. Landry Parish
By hazard

What Melville 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

59%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

29%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Tornadoes

8%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 81% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hail Ice storms Strong wind Lightning Coastal flooding Winter storms Cold waves top 4% Wildfire 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 drought at 23% of Melville’s expected losses. Drought does 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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Melville flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Melville. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

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

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Melville

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

  1. 2026Tropical Storm Arthur58 households applied for aid$227K aid approved
  2. 2020Hurricane Delta69 households applied for aid$97K aid approved
  3. 2020Hurricane Laura60 households applied for aid$148K aid approved
  4. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding88 households applied for aid$90K aid approved
  5. 2011Flooding$5K to the Town of Melville for repairs
  6. 2008Hurricane Gustav499 households applied for aid$893K aid approved$28K to the Town of Melville for repairs
Show all 11
  1. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding54 households applied for aid$51K aid approved
  2. 2005Hurricane Rita378 households applied for aid$511K aid approved$7K to the Town of Melville for repairs
  3. 2005Hurricane Katrina$51K to the Town of Melville for repairs
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding87 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
  5. 2002Hurricane Lili$12K to the Town of Melville for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MelvilleSt. Landry Parish only

St. Landry Parish has had 35 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Melville archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Melville 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 ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
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 Melville

Is Melville 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 St. Landry Parish, 24% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 6.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Melville?

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

By FEMA money that reached Melville, Hurricane Gustav (2008): 499 households applied for aid, $893K approved, and $28K to the Town of Melville for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Melville.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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