On FEMA’s figures, Moss Bluff faces more hazard damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Moss Bluff gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #73 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (51%), then river and rain flooding (39%). Flood insurance has paid 174 claims here since 1982.
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 Moss Bluff’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Moss Bluff 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 Moss Bluff’s grade
Hurricanes are 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Moss Bluff, and Moss Bluff’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D #73 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Moss Bluff’s residents live in 3 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, Moss Bluff has less expected damage per building than 55% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $9.7M a year in losses across Moss Bluff: $8.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Moss Bluff flood? Yes: 174 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Moss Bluff, from FEMA’s records: 30.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Rita20 claims · $590K
- Hurricane Ike20 claims · $308K
- Hurricane Delta18 claims · $650K
Moss Bluff isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Calcasieu Parish.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Moss Bluff
Disasters that paid out in Moss Bluff itself (aid to households or repair grants to Moss Bluff), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storms1 households applied for aid$10K aid approved10 flood claims paid that year
- 2020Hurricane Delta43 households applied for aid$22K aid approved18 flood claims paid for it, $650K
- 2020Hurricane Laura289 households applied for aid$422K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Ike77 households applied for aid$17K aid approved20 flood claims paid for it, $308K
- 2008Hurricane Gustav75 households applied for aid$415 aid approved
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding44 households applied for aid$174K aid approved14 flood claims paid that year
Show all 7
- 2005Hurricane Rita163 households applied for aid$384K aid approved20 flood claims paid for it, $590K
Calcasieu Parish has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Calcasieu Parish, 2000–2000.
Old photos of Moss Bluff after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Moss Bluff archive →Moss Bluff and its neighbors
Moss Bluff has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moss Bluff | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 174 |
| Lake Charles | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 3,560 |
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 Moss Bluff 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 Moss Bluff
Is Moss Bluff at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Moss Bluff has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #73 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (51%) and river and rain flooding (39%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Moss Bluff flood?
Flood insurance has paid 174 claims in Moss Bluff since 1982, $3.5M in all, or 30.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Rita (20).
Is Moss Bluff 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 Calcasieu Parish, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 16.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Moss Bluff?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Moss Bluff’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 Moss Bluff?
By FEMA money that reached Moss Bluff, Hurricane Laura (2020): 289 households applied for aid, $422K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Rita: 20 paid, $590K.
Is Moss Bluff at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Moss Bluff’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Moss Bluff.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Moss Bluff’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.