Photo: Tamanoeconomico · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA puts Nampa’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nampa gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #5 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 2017.
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 Nampa 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 Nampa’s grade
River and rain flooding is 89% of the building damage FEMA expects in Nampa, and Nampa’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 7% (higher than 51% of U.S. census tracts).
A+ #5 of 59 in Idaho; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Nampa’s residents live in 31 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, Nampa has less expected damage per building than 93% of Idaho towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Nampa has lower expected damage per building than 99% (#6 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $12.4M, is the 399th largest of those 400.
Does Nampa flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 2017
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Nampa, from FEMA’s records: 0.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Nampa isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Canyon County.The storms Nampa remembers
None of the 1 disasters declared for Canyon County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Nampa itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20171 flood claims paidThe year of Flooding, declared for Canyon County
- 20201 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Canyon County has had 1 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 Nampa after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Nampa archive →Nampa and its neighbors
Nampa has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nampa | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Caldwell | Aless damage than 94% | 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 Nampa 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 Nampa
Is Nampa at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nampa has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #5 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (89%) and earthquakes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Nampa flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Nampa since 2017, $10K in all, or 0.0 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Nampa 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 Canyon County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Nampa?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Nampa’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Nampa at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (89%), and Nampa’s rate for it is lower than 75% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Nampa.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Nampa’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.