Photo: PhotogMetairie · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Metairie than in 98% of U.S. towns; 10,726 flood claims have been paid there
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Metairie gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #154 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (66%), then river and rain flooding (32%). Flood insurance has paid 10,726 claims here since 1978.
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 Metairie’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Metairie 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 Metairie’s grade
Hurricanes are 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in Metairie, and Metairie’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 32% (higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts).
D− #154 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Metairie’s residents live in 40 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, Metairie has more expected damage per building than 95% of Louisiana towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Metairie has higher expected damage per building than 99% (#395 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $128M, is the 79th largest of those 400.
Does Metairie flood? Yes: 10,726 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Metairie, from FEMA’s records: 161.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Katrina5,086 claims · $358M
- Tropical Storm Isidore454 claims · $6.6M
- Hurricane Francine257 claims · $12.4M
Metairie isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson Parish.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Metairie
Disasters that paid out in Metairie itself (aid to households or repair grants to Metairie), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Francine1,541 households applied for aid$1.6M aid approved257 flood claims paid for it, $12.4M
- 2021Hurricane Ida52,293 households applied for aid$56.8M aid approved105 flood claims paid for it, $3.3M
- 2020Hurricane Zeta651 households applied for aid$303K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Delta1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Laura10 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2012Hurricane Isaac13,038 households applied for aid$2.8M aid approved73 flood claims paid for it, $851K
Show all 11
- 2008Hurricane Ike275 households applied for aid$87K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Gustav16,098 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Rita4,206 households applied for aid$2.5M aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina88,296 households applied for aid$378M aid approved5,086 flood claims paid for it, $358M
- 2004Hurricane Ivan149 households applied for aid$45K aid approved20 flood claims paid that year
Jefferson Parish has had 37 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Metairie after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Metairie archive →Metairie and its neighbors
Metairie is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Ridge | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 3,571 |
| New Orleans | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 91,224 |
| Kenner | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 11,828 |
| Metairie | D−more damage than 98% | hurricanes | 10,726 |
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 Metairie 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 Metairie
Is Metairie at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Metairie has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #154 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (66%) and river and rain flooding (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Metairie flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10,726 claims in Metairie since 1978, $465M in all, or 161.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Katrina (5,086).
Is Metairie 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 Jefferson Parish, 64.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Metairie?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Metairie’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 Metairie?
By FEMA money that reached Metairie, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 88,296 households applied for aid, $378M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Katrina: 5,086 paid, $358M.
Is Metairie at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and Metairie’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Metairie.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Metairie’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.