Natural Disasters in St. James, LA
Hazard risk, disaster history, and FEMA data
Natural Hazard Risk
Source: FEMA National Risk IndexRisk Score
71.0
Relatively Low
Expected Annual Loss
65.2
Score (0-100)
Social Vulnerability
79.1
Score (0-100)
Community Resilience
97.4
Score (0-100)
Top Hazard Risks
| Hazard | Risk Score |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | 94.1 |
| Drought | 90.9 |
| Coastal Flood | 83.4 |
| Tornado | 67.6 |
| Heat Wave | 64.4 |
| Lightning | 48.1 |
| Cold Wave | 43.3 |
| Hail | 32.7 |
| Earthquake | 30.2 |
| Ice Storm | 27.3 |
| Strong Wind | 23.3 |
| Landslide | 9.3 |
| Winter Weather | 7.2 |
| Wildfire | 4.8 |
Scores range from 0 (lowest risk) to 100 (highest risk) relative to all U.S. communities. Data from FEMA National Risk Index.
Disaster Declarations
Source: FEMA OpenFEMATotal Declarations
44
Most Recent
Winter Storm
Jan 2026
Most Common Type
Hurricane
27 declarations
| Date | Type | Declaration |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM |
| Sep 16, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FRANCINE |
| Sep 10, 2024 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM FRANCINE |
| Sep 13, 2021 | Coastal Storm | TROPICAL STORM NICHOLAS |
| Aug 29, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDA |
| Aug 27, 2021 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM IDA |
| Mar 9, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS |
| Feb 18, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM |
| Jan 12, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE ZETA |
| Oct 27, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ZETA |
| Oct 16, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE DELTA |
| Oct 7, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE DELTA |
| Sep 14, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SALLY |
| Aug 28, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE LAURA |
| Aug 23, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORMS LAURA AND MARCO |
| Jun 7, 2020 | Coastal Storm | TROPICAL STORM CRISTOBAL |
| Mar 24, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 |
| Jul 11, 2019 | Coastal Storm | TROPICAL STORM BARRY |
| Oct 6, 2017 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM NATE |
Showing 20 of 44 declarations
Flood Insurance (NFIP)
Source: FEMA NFIPTotal Claims
342
Total Claims Paid
$7,523,912
Avg Claim Payout
$22,000
County-level NFIP data from FEMA National Flood Insurance Program.
Disaster Recovery Spending
Source: FEMA Public AssistanceTotal Federal Spending
$42,095,850
Disasters with PA
13
Total Projects
343
| Disaster | Type | Projects | Federal $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4611 | Hurricane | 95 | $31,547,040 |
| DR-1786 | Hurricane | 121 | $5,350,512 |
| DR-1603 | Hurricane | 43 | $2,494,323 |
| DR-4817 | Hurricane | 15 | $943,434 |
| DR-4080 | Hurricane | 28 | $881,339 |
| DR-4277 | Flood | 8 | $401,897 |
| DR-4484 | Biological | 6 | $149,703 |
| DR-1437 | Hurricane | 18 | $128,010 |
| DR-3322 | Flood | 3 | $101,540 |
| DR-4559 | Hurricane | 2 | $65,764 |
| DR-4015 | Flood | 2 | $20,690 |
| DR-3392 | Flood | 1 | $9,660 |
| DR-1607 | Hurricane | 1 | $1,938 |
St. James has a relatively low overall natural hazard risk rating according to FEMA's National Risk Index. The top hazard risks are hurricane, drought, coastal flood. The area has had 44 federal disaster declarations. The most common disaster type is hurricane (27 declarations). 342 flood insurance claims have been filed in the area. FEMA has obligated $42,095,850 in public assistance recovery funding.