Is Ouachita Parish, LA in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Ouachita Parish's flood hazard at the 87.1th percentile nationally — a middling flood hazard by national standards — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.9 times a year. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Ouachita Parish
Out of 6,209 homes FEMA counts inside Ouachita Parish's mapped flood zone, 2,898 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 46.7% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Ouachita Parish, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 7.5% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
How Ouachita Parish compares nationally
Ouachita Parish sits at rank 425 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 443 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Ouachita Parish, Louisiana is home to about 157,874 people across 610.145 square miles of land.
Your street may differ from Ouachita Parish's average
FEMA counts 57,152 residential structures in Ouachita Parish overall, 4,265 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Ouachita Parish's numbers. The guide to what the Special Flood Hazard Area actually means explains why the mandatory-insurance rule exists and who it applies to.