Pocatello Westside Residential Historic District · Photo: Eric Kjaemperud · CC BY-SA 3.0Pocatello’s building-damage rate from wildfire is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pocatello gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #23 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%), then wildfire (31%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2013.
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 stands out about Pocatello’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Pocatello 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
Wildfire
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 Pocatello’s grade
River and rain flooding is 52% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pocatello, and Pocatello’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 31%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
B #23 of 59 in Idaho; lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Pocatello’s residents live in 18 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, Pocatello has less expected damage per building than 62% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $18.2M a year in losses across Pocatello: $10.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pocatello flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pocatello, from FEMA’s records: 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Pocatello isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bannock County.The storms Pocatello remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Bannock County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pocatello itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20132 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20171 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Bannock County has had 2 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.
Old photos of Pocatello after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pocatello archive →Pocatello and its neighbors
Pocatello 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chubbuck | Aless damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Pocatello | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Pocatello 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.
- 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.
- 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 Pocatello
Is Pocatello at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pocatello has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #23 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (52%) and wildfire (31%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Pocatello flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Pocatello since 2013, $26K in all, or 0.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.
Is Pocatello 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 Bannock County, 10% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Pocatello?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pocatello’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Pocatello at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (52%), and Pocatello’s rate for it is lower than 72% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pocatello.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pocatello’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.