St. Helena Parish Disaster Risk

St. Helena Parish has a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low, placing it in the 36th 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.

St. Helena Parish is evaluated for five major natural hazard types: hurricane (80th percentile), tornado (69th percentile), wildfire (53th percentile), flooding (35th percentile), earthquake (28th percentile). The highest-risk hazard is hurricane at the 80th 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.

St. Helena Parish's composite risk percentile is 36th, compared to the Louisiana state average of 62th percentile. The state's overall risk rating is Relatively Low. This means St. Helena Parish faces lower natural disaster risk than the typical county in Louisiana.

Yes, St. Helena Parish's hurricane risk is at the 80th percentile nationally. This places it in the top quartile for this hazard type. For flooding specifically, St. Helena Parish is at the 35th 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.

St. Helena Parish's composite risk score of 36th percentile is below the Louisiana state average of 62th percentile, indicating relatively lower exposure to natural hazards. However, no county is completely risk-free. The primary hazard type is hurricane at the 80th percentile. Residents should still maintain emergency preparedness plans and appropriate insurance coverage.