Photo: ian munroe from Steinwenden, Germany · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Thibodaux faces more hazard damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Thibodaux gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #114 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (89%). Flood insurance has paid 308 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 Thibodaux’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Thibodaux 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 Thibodaux’s grade
Hurricanes are 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Thibodaux, and Thibodaux’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 7% (lower than 96% of U.S. census tracts).
D− #114 of 162 in Louisiana; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Thibodaux’s residents live in 7 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, Thibodaux has more expected damage per building than 70% of Louisiana towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $15.4M a year in losses across Thibodaux: $12.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Thibodaux flood? Yes: 308 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Thibodaux, from FEMA’s records: 40.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Allison113 claims · $2.9M
- Hurricane Francine38 claims · $1.9M
- Hurricane Ida7 claims · $231K
Thibodaux 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.14 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Thibodaux
Disasters that paid out in Thibodaux itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Thibodaux), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Tropical Storm Arthur1,778 households applied for aid$4.9M aid approved7 flood claims paid that year
- 2024Hurricane Francine4,615 households applied for aid$9.7M aid approved$387K to the City of Thibodaux for repairs38 flood claims paid for it, $1.9M
- 2021Hurricane Ida16,635 households applied for aid$32.7M aid approved$4.0M to the City of Thibodaux for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $231K
- 2020Hurricane Zeta274 households applied for aid$468K aid approved
- 2019Hurricane Barry$51K to the City of Thibodaux for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2012Hurricane Isaac1,564 households applied for aid$1.6M aid approved$198K to the City of Thibodaux for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 14
- 2008Hurricane Ike588 households applied for aid$385K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Gustav7,283 households applied for aid$5.4M aid approved$2.3M to the City of Thibodaux for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Rita1,981 households applied for aid$1.4M aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina7,238 households applied for aid$6.1M aid approved$2.0M to the City of Thibodaux for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Ivan50 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$15K to the City of Thibodaux for repairs
- 2002Hurricane Lili$106K to the City of Thibodaux for repairs
- 2002Tropical Storm Isidore$24K to the City of Thibodaux for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $6K
- 2001Tropical Storm Allison$258K to the City of Thibodaux for repairs113 flood claims paid for it, $2.9M
Lafourche Parish has had 40 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Thibodaux after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Thibodaux archive →Thibodaux and its neighbors
Thibodaux has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thibodaux | D−more damage than 96% | hurricanes | 308 |
| Schriever | D−more damage than 96% | hurricanes | 12 |
| Bayou Country Club | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 127 |
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 Thibodaux 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 Thibodaux
Is Thibodaux at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Thibodaux has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #114 of 162 in Louisiana. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (89%) and river and rain flooding (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Thibodaux flood?
Flood insurance has paid 308 claims in Thibodaux since 1979, $7.0M in all, or 40.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 32 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Allison (113).
Is Thibodaux 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 Thibodaux?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Thibodaux’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 Thibodaux?
By FEMA money that reached Thibodaux, Hurricane Ida (2021): 16,635 households applied for aid, $32.7M approved, and $4.0M to the City of Thibodaux for repairs. By flood claims, Tropical Storm Allison: 113 paid, $2.9M.
Is Thibodaux at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Thibodaux’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Thibodaux.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Thibodaux’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.