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RacelandBigHouseBySugarMillPhoto: Infrogmation of New Orleans · CC BY-SA 3.0
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Raceland · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Raceland than in 98% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Raceland gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, #145 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (80%), then river and rain flooding (16%). Flood insurance has paid 360 claims here since 1980.

Hurricanes 80%River and rain flooding 16%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 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#145 of 162 in Louisiana
Hazard risk
D−#145 of 162
in Louisiana · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
80% of expected building damage
Flood claims
360
paid since 1980 · $7.9M
Disasters paid out here
9
of 40 declared for Lafourche Parish

What stands out about Raceland’s natural hazards

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

360 paid flood claims since 1980$7.9M in all. More per home than 95% of U.S. towns.Hurricanes: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for hurricanes here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 80.5% of the damage it expects.Moved out of harm’s way13 homes raised above flood level; 1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 200172 flood claims were paid for 2001 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Raceland faces

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

Hurricanes

80%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

River and rain flooding

16%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Earthquakes Strong wind Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts tornadoes at 13% of Raceland’s expected losses. Tornadoes do little damage to buildings (2.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Raceland’s grade

Hurricanes are 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Raceland, and Raceland’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 16% (lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Raceland sits
Raceland
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− #145 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Raceland’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes80%River and rain flooding16%Everything else3%

The typical Louisiana town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, Raceland has more expected damage per building than 89% of Louisiana towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.2M a year in losses across Raceland: $5.0M 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 5,231 aid registrations from Raceland addresses (the town has 4,254 homes).
A small-area figure. Raceland covers 5 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 Raceland flood? Yes: 360 flood claims since 1980

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Raceland, from FEMA’s records: 84.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1980: 16 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 3 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 1 claim1990: 1 claim1991: 36 claims1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 3 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 56 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 72 claims2002: 3 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 2 claims2005: 6 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 11 claims2009: 72 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 3 claims2012: 8 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 1 claim2017: 2 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 4 claims2021: 6 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 4 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 44 claims199920012009
19802026
Biggest named events
  • Tropical Storm Allison71 claims · $1.4M
  • The 2026-06-Arthur-TS44 claims · $2.5M
  • Hurricane Katrina6 claims · $152K
360
paid claims since 1980
$7.9M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$22K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Lafourche Parish.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
13homes raised above flood level
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Raceland

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

  1. 2026Tropical Storm Arthur635 households applied for aid$2.5M aid approved44 flood claims paid that year
  2. 2024Hurricane Francine1,212 households applied for aid$2.2M aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $78K
  3. 2021Hurricane Ida5,231 households applied for aid$17.2M aid approved6 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2020Hurricane Zeta139 households applied for aid$191K aid approved4 flood claims paid that year
  5. 2012Hurricane Isaac706 households applied for aid$990K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $46K
  6. 2008Hurricane Ike217 households applied for aid$199K aid approved
Show all 9
  1. 2008Hurricane Gustav2,667 households applied for aid$2.4M aid approved
  2. 2005Hurricane Rita894 households applied for aid$682K aid approved
  3. 2005Hurricane Katrina3,131 households applied for aid$3.1M aid approved6 flood claims paid for it, $152K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RacelandLafourche Parish only

Lafourche Parish has had 40 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Raceland archive →
Next door

Raceland and its neighbors

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

Mathews: hazard risk D−MathewsRaceland
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
MathewsD−more damage than 98%hurricanes10
RacelandD−more damage than 98%hurricanes360

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 Raceland 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 Raceland

Is Raceland at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Raceland has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #145 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (80%) and river and rain flooding (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Raceland flood?

Flood insurance has paid 360 claims in Raceland since 1980, $7.9M in all, or 84.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Allison (71).

Is Raceland 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 Lafourche Parish, 23.0% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Raceland?

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

By FEMA money that reached Raceland, Hurricane Ida (2021): 5,231 households applied for aid, $17.2M approved. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Allison: 71 paid, $1.4M.

Is Raceland at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Raceland’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Raceland.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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