Photo: Scoletti1 · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Ammon than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ammon gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #44 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then earthquakes (18%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2006.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Ammon faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Ammon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Ammon, and Ammon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 9% of U.S. census tracts.
C #44 of 59 in Idaho; higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Ammon’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Idaho town has higher expected damage than 52% of U.S. towns; within the state, Ammon has more expected damage per building than 74% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $8.8M a year in losses across Ammon: $5.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Ammon flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Ammon, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Ammon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bonneville County.The storms Ammon remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Bonneville County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Ammon itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20061 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Bonneville County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Bonneville County, 2016–2016.
Old photos of Ammon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Ammon archive →Ammon and its neighbors
Ammon is 3rd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho Falls | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Lincoln | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ammon | Cmore damage than 72% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Ammon faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Ammon
Is Ammon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ammon has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #44 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and earthquakes (18%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Ammon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Ammon since 2006, $1K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Ammon in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Bonneville County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Ammon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Ammon’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Ammon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Ammon’s rate for it is higher than 77% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Ammon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Ammon’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.