Natural disaster risk in Orleans Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana · population 383,606 · FIPS 22071
Overall: relatively high risk
Orleans Parish has a composite risk score of 98.3 out of 100 — higher than 98% of US counties. It ranks 2 of 64 in Louisiana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, lightning, cold wave.
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 Orleans 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 Orleans 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 98.3 |
| Expected annual loss About $304.1 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively high 97.8 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 77.5 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 99.9 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Orleans 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 |
| Cold wave | Relatively high 97 |
| Heat wave | Relatively high 97 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively high 93 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 92 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 84 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 81 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 71 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 64 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 80 |
| Drought | Relatively low 56 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 46 |
| Wildfire | Very low 48 |
| Landslide | Very low 18 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Orleans Parish
Federal declarations that designated Orleans Parish, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Orleans 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 | No |
| 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 Orleans Parish, Louisiana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Orleans Parish as relatively high, with a score of 98.3 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 Orleans Parish?
The hazards rated highest for Orleans Parish are hurricane (very high), lightning (very high), cold wave (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Orleans Parish?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Orleans Parish as relatively high, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Orleans Parish had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Orleans 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 Orleans Parish in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Orleans 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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