Photo: User:Quasipalm · Public domainMore hazard damage per building is expected in Heyburn than in 72% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Heyburn gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns, #46 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1997.
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 Heyburn 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 Heyburn’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Heyburn, and Heyburn’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 8% (higher than 78% of U.S. census tracts).
C #46 of 59 in Idaho; higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Heyburn’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical Idaho town has higher expected damage than 52% of U.S. towns; within the state, Heyburn has more expected damage per building than 78% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Heyburn: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Heyburn flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1997
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Heyburn, from FEMA’s records: 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Heyburn isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Minidoka County.The storms Heyburn remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Minidoka County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Heyburn itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19971 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Minidoka County has had 2 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 Heyburn after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Heyburn archive →Heyburn and its neighbors
Heyburn 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burley | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Heyburn | 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 Heyburn 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 Heyburn
Is Heyburn at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Heyburn has higher expected damage per building than 72% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #46 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%) and earthquakes (8%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Heyburn flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Heyburn since 1997, $165K in all, or 0.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 85% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Heyburn 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 Minidoka County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Heyburn?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Heyburn’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Heyburn at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Heyburn’s rate for it is higher than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Heyburn.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Heyburn’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.