Bellevue Historic District · Photo: Acroterion · CC BY-SA 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Bellevue than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bellevue gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #52 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%), then wildfire (24%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2017.
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 Bellevue 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
Wildfire
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 Bellevue’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bellevue, and Bellevue’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 24%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
D #52 of 59 in Idaho; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Bellevue’s residents live in 2 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, Bellevue has more expected damage per building than 88% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.3M a year in losses across Bellevue: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Bellevue flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bellevue, from FEMA’s records: 4.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Bellevue isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Blaine County.The storms Bellevue remembers
None of the 4 disasters declared for Blaine County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Bellevue itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20183 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20171 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, declared for Blaine County
Blaine County has had 4 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 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Blaine County, 2007–2022.
Old photos of Bellevue after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bellevue archive →Get ready for what Bellevue 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Bellevue
Is Bellevue at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bellevue has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #52 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and wildfire (24%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Bellevue flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Bellevue since 2017, $7K in all, or 4.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 56% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Bellevue 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 Blaine County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.8% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bellevue?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bellevue’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Bellevue at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Bellevue’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bellevue.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bellevue’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.