Natural disaster risk in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana · population 97,393 · FIPS 22057
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Lafourche Parish has a composite risk score of 91.3 out of 100 — higher than 91% of US counties. It ranks 12 of 64 in Louisiana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, tornado, lightning.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 1 week
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 16.86% of Lafourche Parish is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 1 week so far.
Drought in Lafourche 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 moderate 91.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $82.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 89.2 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 72.4 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 95.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Lafourche Parish, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively high 97 |
| Tornado | Relatively high 94 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 85 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 86 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Strong wind | Relatively moderate 56 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively low 64 |
| Hail | Relatively low 63 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 54 |
| Earthquake | Very low 55 |
| Landslide | Very low 24 |
| Wildfire | Very low 18 |
| Ice storm | Very low 1 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Lafourche Parish
Federal declarations that designated Lafourche Parish, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Lafourche Parish has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4927-LA (Tropical Storm Arthur), declared 30 Jun 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4927-LA | Major disaster | Tropical Storm Arthur | 30 Jun 2026 | Yes |
| 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 Lafourche Parish, Louisiana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Lafourche Parish as relatively moderate, with a score of 91.3 out of 100 (higher than 91% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Lafourche Parish?
The hazards rated highest for Lafourche Parish are hurricane (relatively high), tornado (relatively high), lightning (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Lafourche Parish?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Lafourche Parish as relatively low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Lafourche Parish had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Lafourche Parish has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4927-LA (Tropical Storm Arthur), declared 30 Jun 2026.
Is Lafourche Parish in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 16.86% of Lafourche Parish is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 1 week so far.
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