Photo: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Preston’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Preston gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #39 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then earthquakes (19%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2006.
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 Preston 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
Wildfire
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 Preston’s grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Preston, and Preston’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 11%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
C #39 of 59 in Idaho; higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Preston’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, Preston has more expected damage per building than 66% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.1M a year in losses across Preston: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Preston flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2006
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Preston, from FEMA’s records: 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Preston isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Franklin County.The storms Preston remembers
None of the 1 disasters declared for Franklin County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Preston itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20061 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Franklin 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 Preston after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Preston archive →Get ready for what Preston 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.
- 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.
- 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 Preston
Is Preston at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Preston has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #39 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and earthquakes (19%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Preston flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Preston since 2006, $3K in all, or 0.4 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Preston 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 Franklin County, 0.1% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Preston?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Preston’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Preston at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Preston’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Preston.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Preston’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.