Photo: Tamanoeconomico · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Caldwell faces less hazard damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Caldwell gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, #10 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2026.
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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Caldwell, and Caldwell’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 7% (higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts).
A #10 of 59 in Idaho; lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Caldwell’s residents live in 15 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, Caldwell has less expected damage per building than 84% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.7M a year in losses across Caldwell: $5.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Caldwell flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2026
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Caldwell, from FEMA’s records: 0.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Caldwell isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Canyon County.The storms Caldwell remembers
None of the 1 disasters declared for Canyon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Caldwell itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20261 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Canyon County has had 1 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Caldwell after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Caldwell archive →Caldwell and its neighbors
Caldwell is 2nd of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nampa | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Caldwell | Aless damage than 94% | 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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell
Is Caldwell at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Caldwell has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #10 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%) and earthquakes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Caldwell flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Caldwell since 2026, $2K in all, or 0.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Caldwell 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 Canyon County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Caldwell?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Caldwell’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Caldwell at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Caldwell’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Caldwell.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Caldwell’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.