Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Rexburg faces less hazard damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rexburg gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns, #22 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%), then earthquakes (28%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1979.
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 Rexburg 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 Rexburg’s grade
River and rain flooding is 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rexburg, and Rexburg’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 28% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B #22 of 59 in Idaho; lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Rexburg’s residents live in 8 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, Rexburg has less expected damage per building than 64% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $14.7M a year in losses across Rexburg: $7.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rexburg flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rexburg, from FEMA’s records: 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Rexburg isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Madison County.The storms Rexburg remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Madison County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Rexburg itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19792 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20141 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Madison 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 Rexburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rexburg archive →Rexburg and its neighbors
Rexburg 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rexburg | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Sugar City | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | — |
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 Rexburg 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 Rexburg
Is Rexburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rexburg has lower expected damage per building than 62% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #22 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (68%) and earthquakes (28%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Rexburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Rexburg since 1979, $2K in all, or 0.3 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Rexburg 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 Madison County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Rexburg?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rexburg’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Rexburg at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and Rexburg’s rate for it is lower than 54% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rexburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rexburg’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.