FEMA puts LaBarque Creek’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, LaBarque Creek gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 189 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 LaBarque Creek’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What LaBarque Creek 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
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 LaBarque Creek’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in LaBarque Creek, and LaBarque Creek’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 3%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of LaBarque Creek’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across LaBarque Creek: $942K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does LaBarque Creek flood? Yes: 189 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in LaBarque Creek, from FEMA’s records: 344.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- The March storm23 claims · $537K
- The Late spring severe storms18 claims · $501K
- The Early winter storms15 claims · $764K
LaBarque Creek isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.The storms LaBarque Creek remembers
None of the 26 disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching LaBarque Creek itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 199329 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, declared for Jefferson County
- 200827 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and a Tornado, declared for Jefferson County
- 198526 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Jefferson County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of LaBarque Creek after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the LaBarque Creek archive →Get ready for what LaBarque Creek 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.
- 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 LaBarque Creek
Is LaBarque Creek at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, LaBarque Creek has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does LaBarque Creek flood?
Flood insurance has paid 189 claims in LaBarque Creek since 1979, $3.1M in all, or 344.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from March storm (23).
Is LaBarque Creek 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 Jefferson County, 19% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.7% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in LaBarque Creek?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for LaBarque Creek’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 LaBarque Creek?
By flood claims, March storm: 23 paid, $537K.
Is LaBarque Creek at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and LaBarque Creek’s rate for it is in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in LaBarque Creek.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where LaBarque Creek’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.