Photo: D. McGrath from Lafayette, LA, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts St. Gabriel’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Gabriel gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns, #69 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (79%), then river and rain flooding (16%). Flood insurance has paid 38 claims here since 2016.
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 St. Gabriel’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What St. Gabriel 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 St. Gabriel’s grade
Hurricanes are 79% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Gabriel, and St. Gabriel’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 16% (lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts).
D #69 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of St. Gabriel’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Louisiana town has higher expected damage than 92% of U.S. towns; within the state, St. Gabriel has less expected damage per building than 58% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.0M a year in losses across St. Gabriel: $3.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does St. Gabriel flood? Sometimes: 38 flood claims since 2016
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Gabriel, from FEMA’s records: 20.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The 2021 Mid-Spring Severe Storms20 claims · $1.4M
- The Mid-summer severe storms13 claims · $940K
- Hurricane Ida2 claims · $24K
St. Gabriel isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Iberville Parish.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. Gabriel
Disasters that paid out in St. Gabriel itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of St. Gabriel), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Hurricane Ida755 households applied for aid$696K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $24K
- 2021Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding86 households applied for aid$176K aid approved
- 2019Hurricane Barry$22K to the City of St. Gabriel for repairs
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding368 households applied for aid$759K aid approved$151K to the City of St. Gabriel for repairs13 flood claims paid that year
- 2012Hurricane Isaac96 households applied for aid$58K aid approved$22K to the City of St. Gabriel for repairs
- 2008Hurricane Gustav408 households applied for aid$608K aid approved$817K to the City of St. Gabriel for repairs
Show all 9
- 2005Hurricane Katrina375 households applied for aid$375K aid approved$154K to the City of St. Gabriel for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding75 households applied for aid$55K aid approved
- 2001Tropical Storm Allison$9K to the City of St. Gabriel for repairs
Iberville Parish has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of St. Gabriel after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the St. Gabriel archive →St. Gabriel and its neighbors
St. Gabriel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. George | B−less damage than 51% | hurricanes | 2,140 |
| St. Gabriel | Dmore damage than 91% | hurricanes | 38 |
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 St. Gabriel 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 St. Gabriel
Is St. Gabriel at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Gabriel has higher expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #69 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (79%) and river and rain flooding (16%). 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.
Does St. Gabriel flood?
Flood insurance has paid 38 claims in St. Gabriel since 2016, $2.3M in all, or 20.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from 2021 Mid-Spring Severe Storms (20).
Is St. Gabriel 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 Iberville Parish, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 10.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in St. Gabriel?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Gabriel’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 St. Gabriel?
By FEMA money that reached St. Gabriel, Hurricane Gustav (2008): 408 households applied for aid, $608K approved, and $817K to the City of St. Gabriel for repairs. By flood claims, 2021 Mid-Spring Severe Storms: 20 paid, $1.4M.
Is St. Gabriel at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (79%), and St. Gabriel’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Gabriel.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. Gabriel’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.