Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Hidden Springs’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hidden Springs gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (80%), then river and rain flooding (19%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2021.
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 Hidden Springs 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 Hidden Springs’ grade
Wildfire is 80% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hidden Springs, and Hidden Springs’ rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 19% (higher than 54% of U.S. census tracts).
D− #59 of 59 in Idaho; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hidden Springs’ 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, Hidden Springs has more expected damage per building than 100% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.1M a year in losses across Hidden Springs: $2.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hidden Springs flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2021
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hidden Springs, from FEMA’s records: 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Hidden Springs isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ada County.The storms Hidden Springs remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Ada County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hidden Springs itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20211 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Ada County has had 3 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.
Old photos of Hidden Springs after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hidden Springs archive →Get ready for what Hidden Springs 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 Hidden Springs
Is Hidden Springs at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hidden Springs has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (80%) and river and rain flooding (19%). 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 Hidden Springs flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Hidden Springs since 2021, $1K in all, or 0.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 82% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Hidden Springs 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 Ada County, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hidden Springs?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hidden Springs’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Hidden Springs at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (80%), and Hidden Springs’ rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hidden Springs.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hidden Springs’ 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.