Natural disaster risk in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana · population 43,709 · FIPS 22087
Overall: relatively low risk
St. Bernard Parish has a composite risk score of 75.6 out of 100 — higher than 75% of US counties. It ranks 26 of 64 in Louisiana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, coastal flooding, lightning.
Drought now: No, but abnormally dry (D0)
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 99.57% of St. Bernard 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 12 weeks in a row.
Drought in St. Bernard 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 low 75.6 |
| Expected annual loss About $34.7 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 76.3 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively moderate 42.2 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 96.4 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in St. Bernard Parish, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively high 95 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 74 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 73 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 68 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 51 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 50 |
| Drought | Relatively low 35 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 24 |
| Wildfire | Very low 38 |
| Earthquake | Very low 33 |
| Hail | Very low 33 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 32 |
| Ice storm | Very low 17 |
| Strong wind | Very low 14 |
| Landslide | Very low 8 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for St. Bernard Parish
Federal declarations that designated St. Bernard Parish, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. St. Bernard 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 St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in St. Bernard Parish as relatively low, with a score of 75.6 out of 100 (higher than 75% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in St. Bernard Parish?
The hazards rated highest for St. Bernard Parish are hurricane (relatively high), coastal flooding (relatively moderate), lightning (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in St. Bernard Parish?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in St. Bernard Parish as very low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has St. Bernard Parish had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. St. Bernard 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 St. Bernard Parish in a drought?
No drought, but abnormally dry. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 99.57% of St. Bernard 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 12 weeks in a row.
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