Photo: Karthikc123 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in McCall than in 89% of U.S. towns, led by wildfire
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, McCall gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #53 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is wildfire (50%), then river and rain flooding (46%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 McCall 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 McCall’s grade
Wildfire is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in McCall, and McCall’s rate of wildfire damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 46% (higher than 75% of U.S. census tracts).
D #53 of 59 in Idaho; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
McCall’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, McCall has more expected damage per building than 90% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.9M a year in losses across McCall: $4.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does McCall flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in McCall. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
McCall isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Valley County.The storms McCall remembers
None of the 5 disasters declared for Valley County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching McCall itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Valley County has had 5 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 4 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Valley County, 2007–2022.
Get ready for what McCall 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 McCall
Is McCall at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, McCall has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #53 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is wildfire (50%) and river and rain flooding (46%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is McCall 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 Valley County, 2% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in McCall?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for McCall’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is McCall at risk from wildfire?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and McCall’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in McCall.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where McCall’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.