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Natural hazards · Lawtell

Lawtell, LA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Lawtell comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Lawtell?

79
High
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Lawtell to be higher than in 79% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding42%Hurricanes15%Tornadoes14%Cold waves14%Drought6%Everything else10%
By hazard

What Lawtell faces

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

Inland flooding

42% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

15% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 88% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Tornadoes

14% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 76% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 33 years in the area

Cold waves

14% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 96% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Drought

6% of expected damage
Recorded about 18 times a year in the area

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Lawtell flood?

FEMA's records show no paid flood insurance claims in Lawtell.

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Lawtell 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. Landry Parish.
Disasters that hit Lawtell

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into LawtellDeclared for St. Landry Parish only
2026

Tropical Storm Arthur

2 households applied for aid $2K aid approved
2020

Hurricane Delta

12 households applied for aid $11K aid approved
2020

Hurricane Laura

13 households applied for aid $3K aid approved
2016

Severe Storms and Flooding

17 households applied for aid $33K aid approved
2008

Hurricane Gustav

88 households applied for aid $23K aid approved
2006

Severe Storms and Flooding

12 households applied for aid $24K aid approved
2005

Hurricane Rita

115 households applied for aid $137K aid approved
2004

Severe Storms and Flooding

4 households applied for aid $3K aid approved
St. Landry Parish has had 34 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.
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. Lawtell is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Lawtell’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Lawtell. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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