Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Tallulah’s building-damage rate from tornadoes is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tallulah gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #38 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (37%), then tornadoes (24%). Flood insurance has paid 138 claims here since 1979.
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 Tallulah’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Tallulah faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Hail
Hurricanes
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 Tallulah’s grade
River and rain flooding is 37% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tallulah, and Tallulah’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 24%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #38 of 162 in Louisiana; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Tallulah’s residents live in 5 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, Tallulah has less expected damage per building than 77% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Tallulah: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Tallulah flood? Yes: 138 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tallulah, from FEMA’s records: 52.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Gustav2 claims · $20K
Tallulah isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Madison Parish.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tallulah
Disasters that paid out in Tallulah itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Tallulah), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Winter Storm$27K to the City of Tallulah for repairs
- 2021Severe Winter Storms31 households applied for aid$24K aid approved
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding200 households applied for aid$97K aid approved$184K to the City of Tallulah for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2013Severe Storms and Flooding$60K to the City of Tallulah for repairs23 flood claims paid that year
- 2008Hurricane Gustav126 households applied for aid$146K aid approved2 flood claims paid for it, $20K
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding116 households applied for aid$92K aid approved6 flood claims paid that year
Madison Parish has had 24 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Tallulah after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tallulah archive →Tallulah and its neighbors
Tallulah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tallulah | B−less damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 138 |
| Richmond | — | 447 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 Tallulah faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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.
- 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 Tallulah
Is Tallulah at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tallulah has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #38 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (37%) and tornadoes (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Tallulah flood?
Flood insurance has paid 138 claims in Tallulah since 1979, $1.7M in all, or 52.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 21 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Gustav (2).
Is Tallulah 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 Madison Parish, 22% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 6.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Tallulah?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tallulah’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 Tallulah?
By FEMA money that reached Tallulah, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): 200 households applied for aid, $97K approved, and $184K to the City of Tallulah for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Gustav: 2 paid, $20K.
Is Tallulah at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (37%), and Tallulah’s rate for it is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tallulah.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tallulah’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.