Search
- Home
- Topics
- Family & Home
- Natural Disasters
- Floods & Hurricanes
FloodSmart in Louisiana is knowing your flood risk and vulnerability, knowing when the waters are rising, knowing how to prevent flood damage, and helping Louisiana’s youth rise to the challenge.
Flood Risk and Vulnerability
Get FIRM Flood Zone, Base Flood Elevation (BFE) and ground elevation for any point in Louisiana. Understand what flood risk means for property ownership and development, and how these factors are used in insurance, lending, and building code compliance.
NWS River stages & forecasts
River stages and forecasts for Louisiana come from the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center (LMRFC). Forecasts are not provided in leveed areas that have no streams. The extent to which forecasts include future rain and surge effects varies.
Preventing flood damage
To prevent flood damage: elevate, stop water in the yard, stop water at the wall, prevent sewer back-flow, use materials that water won’t hurt, and raise appliances and heirlooms to protected levels.
Kids rise to the challenge
Louisiana kids love to experiment with flood protection. Flood Fighter Challenge attracts kids from K-12. Other 4-H programs have engaged middle and high school students in more sophisticated activities. Guides for individual activities in a class, camp or fair setting can be found here.
Be aware that the National Flood Insurance Program has both insurance and floodplain development regulatory features that may impact your recovery, and your consideration of how much you should invest in a building that may be seeing significant increases in insurance premiums. Visit this page provided by the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN).
Flood Insurance Program Issues in Recovery
Use these links to access additional LSU AgCenter resources
Disaster Recovery Publications--LA Hurricane Pages--LA Flood & Hurricane News
(10/02/24) LaHouse has been awarded $1.5 million from the National Science Foundation to develop a software prototype aimed at reducing flood risk in the state.
(09/16/24) If your home was damaged by Hurricane Francine, LaHouse has tips to build back with resilience in mind.
(09/09/24) With Tropical Storm Francine projected to make landfall as a hurricane later this week, the LaHouse Research and Education Center has safety tips.
(08/29/24) September marks National Preparedness Month, and LaHouse is here to help.
FEMA released a Levees Brochure during the Spring 2011 Floods, explaining NFIP coverage behind levees, for protective measures and the waiting period. This page is copied directly from that brochure and includes a PDF of the original document as an attachment.
Storms can bring high winds, heavy rains and lightning strikes that cause trees to lose branches, split, break and uproot. Find out what to do after a storm and before the next storm approaches. (PDF Format Only)
Guidelines to help you safely and effectively clean and restore your damaged home.
Jefferson Davis 4-H A-Team planned a wind and rain proofing project for the school board building during a one-week summer camp.
The LSU AgCenter is introducing hazard mitigation planning as an opportunity in the 4-H Youth Development program.
Vermilion Parish formed the first A-Team. This is the story of what they learned, the mitigation project they proposed, and some of their accomplishments and adventures.
St. John the Baptist Freshman Success Academy designs safe rooom for pairish emergency operations center.
If you’re ready to make improvements or need to make repairs to your home’s exterior, why not make hurricane-ready upgrades to the exterior?
(06/06/17) Hurricane season started June 1, and while Louisiana doesn’t often see storms this early in the season, it is important to be prepared.
If your family has a plan for what you’d do in case of a hurricane or other disaster, now is the time to pull it out and review it. If you don’t, there’s still time to write your plan, LSU AgCenter disaster preparedness specialist Pat Skinner says.
(05/19/16) With hurricane season set to begin soon, it’s a good idea for Louisiana residents to make preparations for possible storm damage and recovery.
The flood insurance policy provides limited coverage for expenses you incur trying to protect insured property from flood damage.
It’s time to pull out your family disaster plan. Even if you don’t have one, there are still things you can do! Find tips on what to do when preparing for a hurricane and Emergency Management Office telephone numbers for selected Louisiana parishes (most affected by hurricanes and tropical storms). It is designed to print on legal-sized paper. (PDF Format Only)
St. John 4-H A-Team
Photos from Vermilion 4-H Youth Mitigation project.
In this table-top, hands-on activity children will become aware of the importance of elevation to prevent flood damage.
The LSUAgCenter Flood Maps portal displays Flood Insurance Rate Maps, used for rating flood insurance and as a basis for regulating development in identified flood hazard areas. The portal can be useful in estimating your risk when flooding is anticipated. This page tells you how and explains what you can and cannot do with the information provided on the portal.
Louisiana faces serious flood threats during tropical storms and hurricanes from a combination of surge and inland rain. This site directs you to information you can use to understand how predicted flood levels may impact you, how you can reduce flood damage and how you can recover and rebuild once the floodwaters recede.
Louisiana faces serious flood threats during tropical storms and hurricanes from a combination of surge and inland rain. This site directs you to information you can use to understand how predicted flood levels may impact you, how you can reduce flood damage and how you can recover and rebuild once the floodwaters recede.
Spring floods came early to Louisiana with a mid-March record rainfall in Acadiana. This site directs you to information you can use to understand how predicted flood levels may impact you, how you can reduce flood damage and how you can recover and rebuild once the floodwaters recede.
Louisiana faces serious flood threats during tropical storms and hurricanes from a combination of surge and inland rain. This site directs you to information you can use to understand how predicted flood levels may impact you, how you can reduce flood damage and how you can recover and rebuild once the floodwaters recede.
Louisiana is facing serious flood threats, primarily on the Mississippi River but affecting many streams that flow to and from it. As the flood crest moves down the Mississippi River, levees are being challenged, spillways are being opened, and people are evacuating. This site directs you to information you can use to understand how predicted flood levels may impact you, how you can reduce flood damage and how you can recover and rebuild once the floodwaters recede.
Louisiana faces serious flood threats during tropical storms and hurricanes from a combination of surge and inland rain. This site directs you to information you can use to understand how predicted flood levels may impact you, how you can reduce flood damage and how you can recover and rebuild once the floodwaters recede.
If you think you don’t need flood insurance because you’re not living in a flood zone, then think again. Flooding is our nation’s No. 1 most common natural disaster.
It’s time to pull out your family disaster plan. Even if you don’t have one, there are still things you can do! Find tips on what to do when preparing for a hurricane and Emergency Management Office telephone numbers for selected Louisiana parishes (most affected by hurricanes and tropical storms). It is designed to print on legal-sized paper. (PDF Format Only)
Homeowners have shared with Extension some of the common misconceptions about flood insurance that caused them to suffer financial losses greater than they expected.
The Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and parish emergency managers have emergency response plans to help residents survive hurricanes. They can help you, but remember... the person most responsible for your safety and well-being is YOU!
Hurricanes are divided into five categories to help recognize the threat they pose to structures and inhabitants of coastal and inland areas.
Guide to information about emergency measures you can use to protect property from flooding (rising water). Includes links to Web pages, fact sheets (PDF files) and videos.
River Stages and Forecasts - Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley
Everyone will be able to cope better if you talk to your children early about hurricanes and get them involved in your plans and preparations, says LSU AgCenter family development specialist Dr. Diane Sasser. Discussing what hurricanes are, the dangers they pose and the safety measures to take against them can help to alleviate some of the fear and anxiety children and adults feel when a storm is approaching.
