Photo: Michael Maples, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Public domainMore hazard damage per building is expected in Port Sulphur than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Port Sulphur gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (83%), then coastal flooding (11%). Flood insurance has paid 428 claims here since 1988.
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 Port Sulphur’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Port Sulphur faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
Coastal 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. 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 Port Sulphur’s grade
Hurricanes are 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Port Sulphur, and Port Sulphur’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 11%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Port Sulphur’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.4M a year in losses across Port Sulphur: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Port Sulphur flood? Yes: 428 flood claims since 1988
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Port Sulphur, from FEMA’s records: 625.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Katrina398 claims · $32.0M
- Hurricane Isaac6 claims · $100K
- Hurricane Ida5 claims · $18K
Port Sulphur isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Plaquemines Parish.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Port Sulphur
Disasters that paid out in Port Sulphur itself (aid to households or repair grants to Port Sulphur), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Hurricane Ida1,070 households applied for aid$5.4M aid approved5 flood claims paid for it, $18K
- 2020Hurricane Zeta262 households applied for aid$515K aid approved
- 2012Hurricane Isaac1,175 households applied for aid$3.1M aid approved6 flood claims paid for it, $100K
- 2008Hurricane Ike172 households applied for aid$196K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Gustav603 households applied for aid$187K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Rita845 households applied for aid$3.0M aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $47K
Show all 8
- 2005Hurricane Katrina2,585 households applied for aid$28.4M aid approved398 flood claims paid for it, $32.0M
- 2004Hurricane Ivan419 households applied for aid$280K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Plaquemines Parish has had 33 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms.
Old photos of Port Sulphur after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Port Sulphur archive →Port Sulphur and its neighbors
Port Sulphur has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Sulphur | D−more damage than 96% | hurricanes | 428 |
| Empire | — | 988 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.
Get ready for what Port Sulphur 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Port Sulphur
Is Port Sulphur at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Port Sulphur has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (83%) and coastal flooding (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Port Sulphur flood?
Flood insurance has paid 428 claims in Port Sulphur since 1988, $32.3M in all, or 625.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Katrina (398).
Is Port Sulphur 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 Plaquemines Parish, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 51.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Port Sulphur?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Port Sulphur’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 Port Sulphur?
By FEMA money that reached Port Sulphur, Hurricane Katrina (2005): 2,585 households applied for aid, $28.4M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Katrina: 398 paid, $32.0M.
Is Port Sulphur at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Port Sulphur’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Port Sulphur.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Port Sulphur’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.