Plaquemines Parish Disaster Risk

Plaquemines Parish has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Low, placing it in the 73th percentile nationally out of 3,144 counties. This composite score reflects the county's overall exposure to natural hazards including floods, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes, weighted by expected annual loss and social vulnerability.

Plaquemines Parish is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (95th percentile), flooding (83th percentile), tornado (40th percentile), earthquake (30th percentile), wildfire (21th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 95th percentile nationally. These scores are derived from FEMA's National Risk Index, which analyzes expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience for each hazard type.

Plaquemines Parish's composite risk percentile is 73th, compared to the Louisiana state average of 62th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means Plaquemines Parish faces higher natural disaster risk than the typical county in Louisiana.

Yes, Plaquemines Parish's hurricane risk is at the 95th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, Plaquemines Parish is at the 83th percentile.

FEMA's National Risk Index (NRI) calculates risk scores for 18 natural hazard types across all U.S. counties and census tracts. The composite score combines Expected Annual Loss (estimated dollar losses from each hazard), Social Vulnerability (demographic factors affecting disaster impact), and Community Resilience (ability to recover). Percentile scores rank each county against all 3,144 U.S. counties, and risk ratings range from Very Low to Very High.

Plaquemines Parish's composite risk score of 73th percentile is above the Louisiana state average of 62th percentile. This elevated risk is driven by hurricane exposure (95th percentile), along with flooding risk. Geographic location, terrain, climate patterns, and proximity to flood zones or fault lines all influence a county's risk profile.