Jefferson County Courthouse · Photo: UltraSparky · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in Rigby as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rigby gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #27 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then earthquakes (47%). 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 Rigby 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 Rigby’s grade
River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Rigby, and Rigby’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 47% (higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #27 of 59 in Idaho; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Rigby’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, Rigby has less expected damage per building than 55% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Rigby: $958K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Rigby flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Rigby. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Rigby isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Jefferson County.The storms Rigby remembers
None of the 3 disasters declared for Jefferson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Rigby itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Jefferson County has had 3 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Get ready for what Rigby 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 Rigby
Is Rigby at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Rigby has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #27 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and earthquakes (47%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Rigby 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 Jefferson County, 6% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Rigby?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rigby’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Rigby at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Rigby’s rate for it is lower than 68% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rigby.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rigby’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.