Natural hazards · Simmesport

Simmesport, LA natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Simmesport comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 25 claims here since 1979. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Simmesport?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Simmesport to be higher than in 77% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and hurricanes.

Inland flooding33%Hurricanes21%Drought16%Tornadoes11%Cold waves10%Everything else10%

By hazard

What Simmesport faces

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

Inland flooding

33% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 75% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

21% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 91% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 7 years in the area

Drought

16% of expected damage

Recorded about 16 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

11% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 78% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 13 years in the area

Cold waves

10% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 98% of U.S. places

Recorded about once 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 Simmesport flood?

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

25paid claims since 1979

$484Kpaid to owners

3homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

2026-06-Arthur-TS: 3 claims, $252K
Tropical Storm Barry: 2 claims, $39K
Hurricane Rita: 1 claim, $16K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (1) ■ flooded 2+ times

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Avoyelles Parish.

Disasters that hit Simmesport

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SimmesportDeclared for Avoyelles Parish only

2026

Tropical Storm Arthur

393 households applied for aid $3.9M aid approved

2021

Severe Winter Storms

19 households applied for aid $22K aid approved

2016

Severe Storms and Flooding

99 households applied for aid $80K aid approved

2012

Hurricane Isaac

$19K to the Town of Simmesport for repairs

2008

Hurricane Gustav

439 households applied for aid $316K aid approved $194K to the Town of Simmesport for repairs

2002

Hurricane Lili

$13K to the Town of Simmesport for repairs

Avoyelles Parish has had 29 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. Simmesport 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 Simmesport’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Town of Simmesport. 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.