Natural disaster risk in St. James Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana · population 20,169 · FIPS 22093
Overall: relatively low risk
St. James Parish has a composite risk score of 71.0 out of 100 — higher than 71% of US counties. It ranks 31 of 64 in Louisiana (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are hurricane, drought, coastal flooding.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 1 week
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of St. James Parish is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 1 week so far.
Drought in St. James 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 71 |
| Expected annual loss About $22.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 65.2 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 79.1 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 97.4 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in St. James Parish, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively high 94 |
| Drought | Relatively high 90 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively high 83 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 67 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 64 |
| Lightning | Relatively low 48 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 43 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 27 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 23 |
| Hail | Very low 32 |
| Earthquake | Very low 30 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 25 |
| Landslide | Very low 9 |
| Winter weather | Very low 7 |
| Wildfire | Very low 4 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for St. James Parish
Federal declarations that designated St. James Parish, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. St. James 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 St. James Parish, Louisiana?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in St. James Parish as relatively low, with a score of 71.0 out of 100 (higher than 71% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in St. James Parish?
The hazards rated highest for St. James Parish are hurricane (relatively high), drought (relatively high), coastal flooding (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in St. James Parish?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in St. James Parish as very low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively high. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has St. James Parish had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. St. James 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. James Parish in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of St. James Parish is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 1 week so far.
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