PlainHazard

Idaho · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index

Caribou County, ID

1 FEMA disaster declarations (2020–2020), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Very Low. Most common hazard: Biological.

1
FEMA declarations
1
Major disasters
7
NRI risk · Very Low
Biological
Top hazard

FEMA's National Risk Index places Caribou County in the top 93% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 0% of all 2,729 counties tracked.

How does Caribou County compare?

FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the Idaho county average and the national county average.

Caribou County
1
Idaho county avg
1.7
National county avg
3.7

How disaster-prone is Caribou County?

Caribou County, Idaho has recorded 1 FEMA disaster declarations between 2020 and 2020, of which 1 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at — declarations per year, or roughly 41% below the Idaho county average of 1.7 and 73% below the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency — smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.

The dominant disaster type on record is Biological, with 1 of 1 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Very Low (composite score 7.2/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Very Low equivalent to roughly $4.9M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Very Low and community resilience scores Very Low — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Wildfire (Relatively Low).

NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Caribou County at a very low relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps — flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management — before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.

Risk Assessment

How Caribou County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.

Risk Level

Very Low

vs. Idaho Avg

-41%

State avg: 1.7

vs. National Avg

-73%

National avg: 3.7

Avg Per Year

FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Caribou County

Caribou County NRI risk profile 8-axis FEMA National Risk Index radar showing per-hazard composite scores for Earthquake 25, Flood 0, Hurricane 0, Tornado 8, Wildfire 25, Drought 8, Heat Wave 8, Winter Storm 25. Overall composite 12 of 100, classified Low. Earthquake Flood Hurricane Tornado Wildfire Drought Heat Wave Winter Storm 12 composite
Caribou County NRI risk profile FIPS 16029 · composite 12/100 (Low)

The radar plots Caribou County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance.

FEMA Records

1

Total declarations

NRI Source

FEMA 2023

Latest NRI release

County FIPS

16029

ID state code

Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release

Disaster Types

Breakdown of 1 FEMA disaster declarations in Caribou County by incident type.

Biological 1

Declaration Types

FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).

Major Disaster — 1 100.0%

of all 1 declarations

FEMA Declarations Timeline

Disaster declarations per year for Caribou County.

Year Declarations
2020 1

Disaster Declarations

All 1 FEMA disaster declarations for Caribou County, Idaho.

DR# Title Type Incident Date
4534 COVID-19 PANDEMIC DR Biological 2020-04-09

Storm Events in Idaho

NOAA severe weather data for Idaho (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.

Storm Type Events Fatalities Injuries Property Damage
Heavy Snow 1,548 1 13 $100.9M
Thunderstorm Wind 1,301 9 29 $4.1M
Winter Storm 512 4 15 $1.0M
High Wind 487 5 6 $12.1M
Winter Weather 337 10 15 $2.0M

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025

FEMA National Risk Index

FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Caribou County.

Overall Risk

Very Low

Score: 7.2/100

Expected Annual Loss

Very Low

$4.9M/year

Social Vulnerability

Very Low

Community Resilience

Very Low

Hazard Risk Breakdown

Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Caribou County.

Wildfire Relatively Low
Avalanche Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Low
Winter Weather Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Lightning Relatively Low
Volcanic Activity Very Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Drought Very Low
Hail Very Low
Heat Wave Very Low
Strong Wind Very Low
Ice Storm Very Low
Tornado Very Low

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri

Counties with Similar Risk in Idaho

Other Idaho counties with similar disaster declaration counts.

Disaster Preparedness Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many natural disasters has Caribou County, Idaho had?
Caribou County, Idaho has received 1 FEMA disaster declarations from 2020 to 2020. Of these, 1 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Caribou County?
The most common disaster type in Caribou County is Biological, with 1 declaration.
How does Caribou County's disaster risk compare to the Idaho average?
Caribou County has 1 disaster declarations, which is 41% lower than the Idaho county average of 1.7 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 73% lower.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Caribou County received?
Caribou County has received 1 major disaster declaration, representing 100% of all 1 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in Idaho?
The most common storm types in Idaho include Heavy Snow (1,548 events), Thunderstorm Wind (1,301 events), Winter Storm (512 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Caribou County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Caribou County has a very low disaster risk level with 1 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Caribou County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Caribou County, Idaho has an overall risk score of 7.2 out of 100 (Very Low). The county's social vulnerability rating is Very Low and community resilience is Very Low. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Very Low, representing $4.9M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Caribou County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Caribou County is Wildfire (risk rating: Relatively Low). Other significant hazards include Avalanche (Relatively Moderate) and Earthquake (Relatively Low). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.

Data Sources & Methodology

Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.

Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.

This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.

What this means for Caribou County

Caribou County, ID has 1 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a very low historical disaster load, 41% below the Idaho county average.

  • Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (1 of 1) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. Idaho overview
  • See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
  • Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide

Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.

All federal data sources used on this page
Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial

Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →