Natural hazards · Harvey

Harvey, LA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Harvey comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3,472 claims here since 1978. 11 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Harvey?

Very high

vs. U.S. communities

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

Hurricanes75%Inland flooding16%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Harvey faces

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

Hurricanes

75% 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

16% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 50% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Harvey flood?

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

3,472paid claims since 1978

$49.8Mpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Katrina: 418 claims, $22.2M
Tropical Storm Allison: 27 claims, $137K
Hurricane Isaac: 25 claims, $959K

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Jefferson Parish.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

153homes raised above flood level

5buildings retrofitted against wind

Disasters that hit Harvey

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into HarveyDeclared for Jefferson Parish only

2024

Hurricane Francine

647 households applied for aid $754K aid approved

2021

Hurricane Ida

15,378 households applied for aid $23.7M aid approved

2020

Hurricane Zeta

916 households applied for aid $613K aid approved

2020

Hurricane Laura

1 household applied for aid

2012

Hurricane Isaac

7,810 households applied for aid $2.9M aid approved

2008

Hurricane Ike

236 households applied for aid $101K aid approved

2008

Hurricane Gustav

8,375 households applied for aid $981K aid approved

2007

Severe Storms and Tornadoes

9 households applied for aid $2K aid approved

2005

Hurricane Rita

3,349 households applied for aid $2.4M aid approved

2005

Hurricane Katrina

25,718 households applied for aid $118M aid approved

2004

Hurricane Ivan

142 households applied for aid $43K aid approved

Jefferson Parish has had 37 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.

Around Harvey

Harvey and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Harveymostly hurricanesVery high

Gretnamostly hurricanesVery high

New Orleansmostly hurricanesVery high

Woodmeremostly hurricanesVery high

Marreromostly 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. Harvey covers 6 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Harvey’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Harvey. 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 Harvey total about $18.2M 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.