G.W. Nesom House · Photo: Z28scrambler · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Tickfaw
Tickfaw isn’t graded for hazard risk: Tickfaw has 857 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 20 claims here since 1982.
What Tickfaw 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.
Does Tickfaw flood? Sometimes: 20 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tickfaw, from FEMA’s records.
- The Mid-summer severe storms14 claims · $394K
- The Late winter severe storms2 claims · $22K
- Hurricane Katrina1 claim · $738
Tickfaw isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Tangipahoa Parish.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tickfaw
Disasters that paid out in Tickfaw itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Tickfaw), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Hurricane Ida3,218 households applied for aid$6.1M aid approved$157K to the Village of Tickfaw for repairs
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding882 households applied for aid$3.3M aid approved$17K to the Village of Tickfaw for repairs
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding350 households applied for aid$681K aid approved$3K to the Village of Tickfaw for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Isaac612 households applied for aid$611K aid approved$12K to the Village of Tickfaw for repairs
- 2008Hurricane Ike125 households applied for aid$351K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Gustav715 households applied for aid$973K aid approved$23K to the Village of Tickfaw for repairs
Show all 10
- 2005Hurricane Rita4 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2005Hurricane Katrina2,579 households applied for aid$3.1M aid approved$33K to the Village of Tickfaw for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $738
- 2004Hurricane Ivan$1K to the Village of Tickfaw for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2002Hurricane Lili$4K to the Village of Tickfaw for repairs
Tangipahoa Parish has had 36 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of Tickfaw after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Tickfaw archive →Tickfaw and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natalbany | D−more damage than 97% | hurricanes | 285 |
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 Tickfaw 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 Tickfaw
Does Tickfaw flood?
Flood insurance has paid 20 claims in Tickfaw since 1982, $485K in all. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Mid-summer severe storms (14).
Is Tickfaw 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 Tangipahoa Parish, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 15.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Tickfaw?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tickfaw’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 Tickfaw?
By FEMA money that reached Tickfaw, Hurricane Ida (2021): 3,218 households applied for aid, $6.1M approved, and $157K to the Village of Tickfaw for repairs. By flood claims, Mid-summer severe storms: 14 paid, $394K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tickfaw.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Tickfaw’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.