Photo: Denisemurray1 · CC BY-SA 3.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Rathdrum than in 83% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rathdrum gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns, #18 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Rathdrum 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
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 Rathdrum’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rathdrum, and Rathdrum’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #18 of 59 in Idaho; lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Rathdrum’s residents live in 3 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, Rathdrum has less expected damage per building than 71% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Rathdrum: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rathdrum flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rathdrum. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Rathdrum isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Kootenai County.The storms Rathdrum remembers
None of the 14 disasters declared for Kootenai County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Rathdrum itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Kootenai County has had 14 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 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Kootenai County, 2015–2015.
Rathdrum and its neighbors
Rathdrum 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post Falls | A+less damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Rathdrum | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
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 Rathdrum 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.
- 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 Rathdrum
Is Rathdrum at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rathdrum has lower expected damage per building than 83% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #18 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Rathdrum 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 Kootenai County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rathdrum?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rathdrum’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Rathdrum at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Rathdrum’s rate for it is lower than 52% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rathdrum.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rathdrum’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.