Photo: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Grangeville than in 85% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grangeville gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns, #51 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (54%), then river and rain flooding (45%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1996.
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 Grangeville faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
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 Grangeville’s grade
Wildfire is 54% of the building damage FEMA expects in Grangeville, and Grangeville’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 45% (higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts).
D #51 of 59 in Idaho; higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Grangeville’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, Grangeville has more expected damage per building than 86% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.8M a year in losses across Grangeville: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Grangeville flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Grangeville, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Grangeville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Idaho County.The storms Grangeville remembers
None of the 12 disasters declared for Idaho County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Grangeville itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Landslides, declared for Idaho County
- 19991 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Idaho County has had 12 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.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Idaho County, 2007–2015.
Old photos of Grangeville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Grangeville archive →Get ready for what Grangeville faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Grangeville
Is Grangeville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Grangeville has higher expected damage per building than 85% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #51 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (54%) and river and rain flooding (45%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Grangeville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Grangeville since 1996, $10K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 76% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Grangeville 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 Idaho County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Grangeville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Grangeville’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Grangeville at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (54%), and Grangeville’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Grangeville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Grangeville’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.