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Louisiana new state highway shield 1064 east NatalbanyPhoto: Richard David Ramsey · Public domain
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Natalbany · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Natalbany faces more hazard damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Natalbany gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (52%), then river and rain flooding (44%). Flood insurance has paid 285 claims here since 1983.

Hurricanes 52%River and rain flooding 44%Tornadoes 2%

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 97%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Louisiana · higher than 97% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
52% of expected building damage
Flood claims
285
paid since 1983 · $13.2M
Disasters paid out here
7
of 36 declared for Tangipahoa Parish

What stands out about Natalbany’s natural hazards

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

285 paid flood claims since 1983$13.2M in all. More per home than 98% of U.S. towns.Made safer with FEMA grants1 building retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.Remembers 2021116 flood claims were paid for 2021 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Natalbany faces

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

Hurricanes

52%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 5 years in the area

River and rain flooding

44%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Earthquakes Wildfire Ice storms Strong wind Cold waves top 3% Lightning Winter storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Natalbany’s grade

Hurricanes are 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Natalbany, and Natalbany’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. River and rain flooding adds 44%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Natalbany sits
Natalbany
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Natalbany’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes52%River and rain flooding44%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Natalbany: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Ida in 2021, FEMA took 147 aid registrations from Natalbany addresses (the town has 1,281 homes) and flood insurance paid 114 claims for $7.9M.
A small-area figure. Natalbany covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Natalbany flood? Yes: 285 flood claims since 1983

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Natalbany, from FEMA’s records: 222.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1983: 27 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 4 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 1 claim2003: 1 claim2004: 1 claim2005: 2 claims2006: 2 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 6 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 10 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 113 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 116 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198320162021
19832026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Ida114 claims · $7.9M
  • The Late winter severe storms61 claims · $2.8M
  • The Mid-summer severe storms51 claims · $1.9M
285
paid claims since 1983
$13.2M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$46K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

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

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Natalbany

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

  1. 2021Hurricane Ida147 households applied for aid$601K aid approved114 flood claims paid for it, $7.9M
  2. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding99 households applied for aid$275K aid approved
  3. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding107 households applied for aid$230K aid approved
  4. 2012Hurricane Isaac132 households applied for aid$262K aid approved9 flood claims paid for it, $87K
  5. 2008Hurricane Ike75 households applied for aid$173K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $12K
  6. 2008Hurricane Gustav164 households applied for aid$363K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2005Hurricane Katrina498 households applied for aid$814K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $17K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NatalbanyTangipahoa Parish only

Tangipahoa Parish has had 36 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Natalbany archive →
Next door

Natalbany and its neighbors

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

Hammond: hazard risk D−Tickfaw: not gradedHammondTickfawNatalbany
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
HammondD−more damage than 96%hurricanes414
NatalbanyD−more damage than 97%hurricanes285
Tickfaw—857 residents; we grade 1,000+

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 Natalbany 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 Natalbany

Is Natalbany at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Natalbany has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (52%) and river and rain flooding (44%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Natalbany flood?

Flood insurance has paid 285 claims in Natalbany since 1983, $13.2M in all, or 222.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (114).

Is Natalbany 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 Tangipahoa Parish, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 15.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Natalbany?

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

By FEMA money that reached Natalbany, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 498 households applied for aid, $814K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 114 paid, $7.9M.

Is Natalbany at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Natalbany’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Natalbany.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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