More hazard damage per building is expected in Sulphur than in 92% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sulphur gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #77 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (49%), then river and rain flooding (42%). Flood insurance has paid 597 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 Sulphur’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What 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
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 Sulphur’s grade
Hurricanes are 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sulphur, and Sulphur’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D #77 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sulphur’s residents live in 9 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, Sulphur has less expected damage per building than 53% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $17.1M a year in losses across Sulphur: $14.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sulphur flood? Yes: 597 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sulphur, from FEMA’s records: 58.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ike54 claims · $3.0M
- Hurricane Rita40 claims · $1.7M
- Hurricane Delta28 claims · $774K
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: Calcasieu Parish.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sulphur
Disasters that paid out in Sulphur itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Sulphur), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding72 households applied for aid$37K aid approved
- 2021Severe Winter Storms132 households applied for aid$50K aid approved
- 2020Hurricane Delta2,785 households applied for aid$2.0M aid approved$180K to the City of Sulphur for repairs28 flood claims paid for it, $774K
- 2020Hurricane Laura15,019 households applied for aid$20.2M aid approved$38.4M to the City of Sulphur for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $89K
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding13 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$7K to the City of Sulphur for repairs15 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Hurricane Ike4,088 households applied for aid$2.0M aid approved$312K to the City of Sulphur for repairs54 flood claims paid for it, $3.0M
Show all 11
- 2008Hurricane Gustav2,889 households applied for aid$162K aid approved$179K to the City of Sulphur for repairs
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding174 households applied for aid$649K aid approved$2K to the City of Sulphur for repairs91 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Hurricane Rita19,163 households applied for aid$40.6M aid approved$2.1M to the City of Sulphur for repairs40 flood claims paid for it, $1.7M
- 2005Hurricane Katrina177 households applied for aid$270K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
- 2002Hurricane Lili$39K to the City of Sulphur for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
Calcasieu Parish has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Calcasieu Parish, 2000–2000.
Old photos of Sulphur after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sulphur archive →Sulphur and its neighbors
Sulphur 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlyss | Dmore damage than 91% | hurricanes | 67 |
| Sulphur | Dmore damage than 92% | hurricanes | 597 |
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 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.
- 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 Sulphur
Is Sulphur at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sulphur has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #77 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (49%) and river and rain flooding (42%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sulphur flood?
Flood insurance has paid 597 claims in Sulphur since 1978, $14.1M in all, or 58.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 91 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ike (54).
Is 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 Calcasieu Parish, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 16.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sulphur?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for 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 Sulphur?
By FEMA money that reached Sulphur, Hurricane Laura (2020): 15,019 households applied for aid, $20.2M approved, and $38.4M to the City of Sulphur for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ike: 54 paid, $3.0M.
Is Sulphur at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Sulphur’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sulphur.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where 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.