Photo: Sam Beebe · CC BY 2.0FEMA puts Salmon’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Salmon gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #57 of 59 in Idaho. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%), then wildfire (23%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1982.
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 Salmon’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Salmon 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
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 Salmon’s grade
River and rain flooding is 74% of the building damage FEMA expects in Salmon, and Salmon’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 23%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D− #57 of 59 in Idaho; higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Salmon’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, Salmon has more expected damage per building than 97% of Idaho towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.1M a year in losses across Salmon: $3.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Salmon flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Salmon, from FEMA’s records: 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Salmon isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lemhi County.The storms Salmon remembers
None of the 2 disasters declared for Lemhi County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Salmon itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19842 flood claims paidThe year of Ice Jams and Flooding, declared for Lemhi County
- 19821 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19861 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lemhi County has had 2 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Salmon after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Salmon archive →Get ready for what Salmon 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.
- 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 Salmon
Is Salmon at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Salmon has higher expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #57 of 59 in Idaho. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (74%) and wildfire (23%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Salmon flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Salmon since 1982, $65K in all, or 3.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 52% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Salmon 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 Lemhi County, 0.6% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Salmon?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Salmon’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Salmon at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (74%), and Salmon’s rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Salmon.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Salmon’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.