Photo: Polka Dots and Pastries · CC BY 2.0FEMA puts Ponchatoula’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ponchatoula gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #124 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (59%), then river and rain flooding (33%). Flood insurance has paid 70 claims here since 1980.
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 Ponchatoula’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Ponchatoula 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 Ponchatoula’s grade
Hurricanes are 59% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ponchatoula, and Ponchatoula’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 4%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #124 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ponchatoula’s residents live in 7 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, Ponchatoula has more expected damage per building than 76% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.9M a year in losses across Ponchatoula: $5.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ponchatoula flood? Sometimes: 70 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ponchatoula, from FEMA’s records: 18.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida30 claims · $1.7M
- The Late winter severe storms9 claims · $215K
- Hurricane Isaac5 claims · $286K
Ponchatoula 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.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Ponchatoula
Disasters that paid out in Ponchatoula itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Ponchatoula), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Hurricane Ida11,321 households applied for aid$16.4M aid approved$1.4M to the City of Ponchatoula for repairs30 flood claims paid for it, $1.7M
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding1,824 households applied for aid$8.9M aid approved
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding969 households applied for aid$3.2M aid approved$22K to the City of Ponchatoula for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Isaac1,670 households applied for aid$2.5M aid approved$49K to the City of Ponchatoula for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $286K
- 2008Hurricane Ike207 households applied for aid$593K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Gustav2,191 households applied for aid$1.3M aid approved$116K to the City of Ponchatoula for repairs
Show all 10
- 2005Hurricane Rita2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina8,494 households applied for aid$10.3M aid approved$1.1M to the City of Ponchatoula for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $25K
- 2004Hurricane Ivan$6K to the City of Ponchatoula for repairs
- 2002Hurricane Lili$5K to the City of Ponchatoula for repairs
Tangipahoa Parish has had 36 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Ponchatoula after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ponchatoula archive →Ponchatoula and its neighbors
Ponchatoula is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hammond | D−more damage than 96% | hurricanes | 414 |
| Ponchatoula | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 70 |
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 Ponchatoula 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 Ponchatoula
Is Ponchatoula at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ponchatoula has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #124 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (59%) and river and rain flooding (33%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ponchatoula flood?
Flood insurance has paid 70 claims in Ponchatoula since 1980, $2.8M in all, or 18.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (30).
Is Ponchatoula 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 Ponchatoula?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ponchatoula’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 Ponchatoula?
By FEMA money that reached Ponchatoula, Hurricane Ida (2021): 11,321 households applied for aid, $16.4M approved, and $1.4M to the City of Ponchatoula for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 30 paid, $1.7M.
Is Ponchatoula at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (59%), and Ponchatoula’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ponchatoula.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ponchatoula’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.