Natural disaster risk in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana · population 440,590 · FIPS 22051
Overall: relatively high risk
Jefferson Parish has a composite risk score of 98.7 out of 100 — higher than 98% of US counties. It ranks 1 of 64 in Louisiana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, lightning, coastal flooding.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Jefferson Parish is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 10 weeks in a row.
Drought in Jefferson Parish: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively high 98.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $370.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 98.5 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 68.4 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 97.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Jefferson Parish, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Very high 99 |
| Lightning | Very high 98 |
| Coastal flooding | Very high 95 |
| Heat wave | Relatively high 97 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 96 |
| Hail | Relatively high 96 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 95 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 89 |
| Winter weather | Relatively high 85 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 72 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 63 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 78 |
| Drought | Relatively low 50 |
| Landslide | Very low 28 |
| Wildfire | Very low 27 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Jefferson Parish
Federal declarations that designated Jefferson Parish, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Jefferson Parish has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3638-LA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3638-LA | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 24 Jan 2026 | No |
| DR-4817-LA | Major disaster | Hurricane Francine | 16 Sep 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3614-LA | Emergency | Tropical Storm Francine | 10 Sep 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Louisiana, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Jefferson Parish as relatively high, with a score of 98.7 out of 100 (higher than 98% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Jefferson Parish?
The hazards rated highest for Jefferson Parish are hurricane (very high), lightning (very high), coastal flooding (very high).
What is the flood risk in Jefferson Parish?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Jefferson Parish as relatively high, and coastal flooding risk as very high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Jefferson Parish had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Jefferson Parish has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3638-LA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 24 Jan 2026.
Is Jefferson Parish in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Jefferson Parish is D0 Abnormally Dry and none of it is in drought (D1 to D4). Some of it has been abnormally dry or worse for 10 weeks in a row.
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