Natural hazards · Destrehan

Destrehan, LA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Destrehan comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 2,055 claims here since 1978. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Destrehan?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Destrehan to be higher than in 95% of U.S. communities, mostly from hurricanes and inland flooding.

Hurricanes63%Inland flooding23%Tornadoes7%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Destrehan faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Hurricanes

63% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Inland flooding

23% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 62% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Destrehan flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Destrehan, from FEMA’s records.

2,055paid claims since 1978

$74.7Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ida: 54 claims, $1.7M
Hurricane Katrina: 43 claims, $951K
Hurricane Francine: 34 claims, $1.6M

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Destrehan isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: St. Charles Parish.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

65homes raised above flood level

3flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

2buildings retrofitted against wind

Disasters that hit Destrehan

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Destrehan itself: aid to households, or repair grants to Destrehan.

Brought FEMA money into DestrehanDeclared for St. Charles Parish only

2024

Hurricane Francine

309 households applied for aid $370K aid approved

2021

Hurricane Ida

4,528 households applied for aid $8.1M aid approved

2012

Hurricane Isaac

880 households applied for aid $265K aid approved

2008

Hurricane Gustav

1,467 households applied for aid $216K aid approved

2005

Hurricane Katrina

5,472 households applied for aid $6.6M aid approved

2004

Hurricane Ivan

33 households applied for aid $3K aid approved

St. Charles Parish has had 39 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Destrehan

Destrehan and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lulingmostly hurricanesVery high

Destrehanmostly hurricanesVery high

Hahnvillemostly hurricanesVery high

New Sarpymostly hurricanesVery high

St. Rosemostly hurricanesVery high

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Destrehan covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Destrehan’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Destrehan. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Destrehan total about $10.5M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.