Less hazard damage per building is expected in Chubbuck than in 86% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chubbuck gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns, #16 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then earthquakes (15%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2009.
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 Chubbuck 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 Chubbuck’s grade
River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chubbuck, and Chubbuck’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 4%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
A #16 of 59 in Idaho; lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Chubbuck’s residents live in 4 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, Chubbuck has less expected damage per building than 74% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.6M a year in losses across Chubbuck: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chubbuck flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2009
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chubbuck, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Chubbuck isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bannock County.The storms Chubbuck remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Bannock County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Chubbuck itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20091 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20171 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Bannock County has had 2 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Chubbuck after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chubbuck archive →Chubbuck and its neighbors
Chubbuck has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
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 Chubbuck 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 Chubbuck
Is Chubbuck at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chubbuck has lower expected damage per building than 86% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #16 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and earthquakes (15%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Chubbuck flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Chubbuck since 2009, $7K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 94% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Chubbuck 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 Bannock County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Chubbuck?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chubbuck’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Chubbuck at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Chubbuck’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chubbuck.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chubbuck’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.