Hurricane Barry Threatens 339,480 Louisiana Homes with Flash Floods, Storm Surge

According to real estate database company CoreLogic, approximately 339,480 homes in Louisiana are at moderate-to-extreme risk of tropical storm-driven flash flood damage from Hurricane Barry. Within the likely impacted metropolitan and micropolitan areas of Louisiana, 32.6% of homes are located within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).

Homeowners are required to purchase flood insurance in these designated areas when their mortgages are backed by the federal government. CoreLogic hydrological analysis of flash flood risk in the likely impacted areas estimates that 26% of the homes have moderate-to-extreme flash flood risk.

In this analysis, CoreLogic data includes only single-family residential properties likely to be impacted by a lower category storm. Based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) forecast, Hurricane Barry is expected to make landfall sometime Saturday as a strong tropical storm or a weak Category 1 hurricane. While Hurricane Barry has not intensified into a hurricane yet, the focus of this analysis is centered around the rainfall and flooding component, which is expected to be the largest contributor to property loss.

CoreLogic further states that areas along the Mississippi River, where concern is highest, appears to be able to withstand the amount of flooding expected. After Hurricane Katrina, $14 billion of levee and pumping capability improvements were made along the river; this event is not expected to cause catastrophic problems given these enhancements.

The table below shows the total number of properties at risk of flash flood damage--from moderate to extreme--depending on storm size, rainfall and path.