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D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in New Sarpy · FEMA

More hazard damage per building is expected in New Sarpy than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Sarpy gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (77%), then river and rain flooding (19%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.

Hurricanes 77%River and rain flooding 19%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 96%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 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
6
of 39 declared for St. Charles Parish

What stands out about New Sarpy’s natural hazards

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

Hurricanes: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hurricanes here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 77.1% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants3 homes raised above flood level; 2 buildings retrofitted against wind with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What New Sarpy faces

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

Hurricanes

77%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

River and rain flooding

19%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Coastal flooding top 5% Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 New Sarpy’s grade

Hurricanes are 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in New Sarpy, and New Sarpy’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 19% (lower than 58% of U.S. census tracts).

Where New Sarpy sits
New Sarpy
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes77%River and rain flooding19%Everything else4%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $804K a year in losses across New Sarpy: $614K 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 76 aid registrations from New Sarpy addresses (the town has 542 homes).
Shared tract.All of New Sarpy’s 1,169 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 New Sarpy flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in New Sarpy. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: St. Charles Parish.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
3homes raised above flood level
2buildings retrofitted against wind
Disasters

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to New Sarpy

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

  1. 2024Hurricane Francine11 households applied for aid$53K aid approved
  2. 2021Hurricane Ida76 households applied for aid$377K aid approved
  3. 2012Hurricane Isaac61 households applied for aid$58K aid approved
  4. 2008Hurricane Gustav134 households applied for aid$117K aid approved
  5. 2005Hurricane Katrina341 households applied for aid$621K aid approved
  6. 2004Hurricane Ivan31 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in New SarpySt. Charles Parish only

St. Charles Parish has had 39 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the New Sarpy archive →
Next door

New Sarpy and its neighbors

New Sarpy has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Norco: hazard risk D−Destrehan: hazard risk D−Hahnville: hazard risk D−NorcoDestrehanHahnvilleNew Sarpy
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
New SarpyD−more damage than 96%hurricanes0
HahnvilleD−more damage than 96%hurricanes—
NorcoD−more damage than 96%hurricanes717
DestrehanD−more damage than 97%hurricanes2,055

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 New Sarpy 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 New Sarpy

Is New Sarpy at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Sarpy has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (77%) and river and rain flooding (19%). 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.

Is New Sarpy 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 St. Charles Parish, 55.7% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in New Sarpy?

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

By FEMA money that reached New Sarpy, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 341 households applied for aid, $621K approved.

Is New Sarpy at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and New Sarpy’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in New Sarpy.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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