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MiltonLA-signPhoto: Public domain · Public domain
DHazard risk
Natural hazards in Milton · FEMA

FEMA puts Milton’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Milton gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #90 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (57%), then river and rain flooding (41%). Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 2016.

Hurricanes 57%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 94%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#90 of 162 in Louisiana
Hazard risk
D#90 of 162
in Louisiana · higher than 94% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
57% of expected building damage
Flood claims
23
paid since 2016 · $2.9M
Disasters paid out here
5
of 34 declared for Lafayette Parish

What stands out about Milton’s natural hazards

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

Moved out of harm’s way1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 201623 flood claims were paid for 2016 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Milton faces

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

Hurricanes

57%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% 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 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Earthquakes Ice storms Lightning top 2% Strong wind Coastal flooding Wildfire Winter storms Cold waves 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 cold waves at 11% of Milton’s expected losses. Cold waves do 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Milton’s grade

Hurricanes are 57% of the building damage FEMA expects in Milton, and Milton’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 41% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Milton sits
Milton
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D #90 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes57%River and rain flooding41%Everything else2%

The typical Louisiana town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Milton has more expected damage per building than 55% of Louisiana towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.9M a year in losses across Milton: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Milton’s 2,590 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 Milton flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 2016

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Milton, from FEMA’s records: 24.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2016: 23 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims2016
20162026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-summer severe storms23 claims · $2.9M
23
paid claims since 2016
$2.9M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$124K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lafayette Parish.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Milton

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

  1. 2020Hurricane Delta3 households applied for aid$802 aid approved
  2. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding21 households applied for aid$87K aid approved23 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2008Hurricane Gustav13 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
  4. 2005Hurricane Rita35 households applied for aid$27K aid approved
  5. 2005Hurricane Katrina4 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MiltonLafayette Parish only

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

Add to the Milton archive →
Next door

Milton and its neighbors

Milton is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Lafayette: hazard risk DLafayetteMilton
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
LafayetteDmore damage than 94%hurricanes1,913
MiltonDmore damage than 94%hurricanes23

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 Milton 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 Milton

Is Milton at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Milton has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #90 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (57%) 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 Milton flood?

Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Milton since 2016, $2.9M in all, or 24.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Mid-summer severe storms (23).

Is Milton 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 Lafayette Parish, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 19.0% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Milton?

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

By FEMA money that reached Milton, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): 21 households applied for aid, $87K approved. By flood claims, Mid-summer severe storms: 23 paid, $2.9M.

Is Milton at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (57%), and Milton’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Milton.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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