FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in White Castle than in 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, White Castle gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (66%), then river and rain flooding (21%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 White Castle 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
Coastal 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 White Castle’s grade
Hurricanes are 66% of the building damage FEMA expects in White Castle, and White Castle’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 9%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
White Castle’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across White Castle: $919K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does White Castle flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in White Castle. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
White Castle isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Iberville Parish.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to White Castle
Disasters that paid out in White Castle itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of White Castle), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Hurricane Ida1,097 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved
- 2021Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding29 households applied for aid$108K aid approved
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding105 households applied for aid$53K aid approved
- 2012Hurricane Isaac256 households applied for aid$199K aid approved
- 2008Hurricane Gustav885 households applied for aid$1.5M aid approved$96K to the Town of White Castle for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Rita3 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Show all 9
- 2005Hurricane Katrina886 households applied for aid$1.2M aid approved$31K to the Town of White Castle for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding282 households applied for aid$120K aid approved
- 2002Hurricane Lili$4K to the Town of White Castle for repairs
Iberville Parish has had 34 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then floods.
Old photos of White Castle after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the White Castle archive →Get ready for what White Castle 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 White Castle
Is White Castle at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, White Castle has higher expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (66%) and river and rain flooding (21%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is White Castle 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 Iberville Parish, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 10.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in White Castle?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for White Castle’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 White Castle?
By FEMA money that reached White Castle, Hurricane Gustav (2008): 885 households applied for aid, $1.5M approved, and $96K to the Town of White Castle for repairs.
Is White Castle at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (66%), and White Castle’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in White Castle.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where White Castle’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.