Istre Cemetery Grave Houses · Photo: Z28scrambler · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Morse
Morse isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Morse yet. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1985.
What Morse 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
Hurricanes
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.
Does Morse flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Morse, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Juan1 claim · $24K
Morse isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Acadia Parish.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Morse
Disasters that paid out in Morse itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Morse), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Hurricane Delta123 households applied for aid$125K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Laura149 households applied for aid$134K aid approved
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding125 households applied for aid$253K aid approved
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$18K to the Village of Morse for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Hurricane Ike24 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Gustav132 households applied for aid$44K aid approved
Show all 10
- 2005Hurricane Rita759 households applied for aid$1.0M aid approved$56K to the Village of Morse for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Katrina24 households applied for aid$46K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$886 aid approved
- 2002Hurricane Lili$4K to the Village of Morse for repairs
Acadia Parish has had 31 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.
Old photos of Morse after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Morse archive →Get ready for what Morse faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Morse
Does Morse flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Morse since 1985, $229K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Juan (1).
Is Morse 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 Acadia Parish, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Morse?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Morse’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 Morse?
By FEMA money that reached Morse, Hurricane Rita (2005): 759 households applied for aid, $1.0M approved, and $56K to the Village of Morse for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Juan: 1 paid, $24K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Morse.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Morse’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.