LaBranche Plantation Dependency · Photo: Z28scrambler · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, St. Rose faces more hazard damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Rose gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns, #97 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (84%), then river and rain flooding (12%). Flood insurance has paid 814 claims here since 1978.
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. Rose’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What St. Rose 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. Rose’s grade
Hurricanes are 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in St. Rose, and St. Rose’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 12% (lower than 87% of U.S. census tracts).
D #97 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns (21,298).
St. Rose’s residents live in 2 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, St. Rose has more expected damage per building than 60% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.1M a year in losses across St. Rose: $6.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does St. Rose flood? Yes: 814 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in St. Rose, from FEMA’s records: 277.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Katrina141 claims · $7.4M
- Hurricane Ida91 claims · $5.0M
- Hurricane Francine48 claims · $2.7M
St. Rose 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to St. Rose
Disasters that paid out in St. Rose itself (aid to households or repair grants to St. Rose), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Francine346 households applied for aid$506K aid approved48 flood claims paid for it, $2.7M
- 2021Hurricane Ida3,061 households applied for aid$7.6M aid approved91 flood claims paid for it, $5.0M
- 2012Hurricane Isaac1,019 households applied for aid$428K aid approved20 flood claims paid for it, $452K
- 2008Hurricane Gustav1,447 households applied for aid$266K aid approved8 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Hurricane Katrina3,699 households applied for aid$6.5M aid approved141 flood claims paid for it, $7.4M
- 2004Hurricane Ivan49 households applied for aid$3K aid approved19 flood claims paid that year
St. Charles Parish has had 39 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of St. Rose after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the St. Rose archive →St. Rose and its neighbors
St. Rose is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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. Rose 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. Rose
Is St. Rose at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, St. Rose has higher expected damage per building than 95% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #97 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (84%) and river and rain flooding (12%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does St. Rose flood?
Flood insurance has paid 814 claims in St. Rose since 1978, $27.4M in all, or 277.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Katrina (141).
Is St. Rose 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 St. Rose?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for St. Rose’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. Rose?
By FEMA money that reached St. Rose, Hurricane Ida (2021): 3,061 households applied for aid, $7.6M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Katrina: 141 paid, $7.4M.
Is St. Rose at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and St. Rose’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in St. Rose.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where St. Rose’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.