Hundreds of homeowners along Indian Creek in Nampa, Idaho, could soon see their flood insurance premiums drop or be freed from the requirement to carry flood insurance altogether after FEMA updated its flood maps for the area. The revised maps, which took effect Sept. 26, 2025, shrink the floodplain along Indian Creek, shifting hundreds of properties out of the high-risk flood zone and into a lower-risk designation.Check out the updated FEMA floodplain map Tom Points, Senior Public Works Director for the City of Nampa, said the update was years in the making."We thought it was, there wasn't enough data to really support what was remapped in our opinion," Points said.WATCH | Nampa engineers and insurance agent discuss the redrawn FEMA map Nampa flood maps redrawn insurance costs could drop by halfFEMA updated flood maps nationwide in the years following Hurricane Katrina. City leaders in Nampa, however, believed the risk model overstated flooding along Indian Creek, where many homes sit right along the bank. After years of collecting local data and working directly with the federal agency, the city secured the revised designation.Under the original maps, neighbors living in the affected areas along Indian Creek carried about a 1% chance of seeing a flood in any given 100-year period a designation that made flood insurance mandatory for homeowners with mortgages. The updated maps move those properties into the 500-year flood zone, significantly lowering the assessed risk.Nearly 1,000 homeowners and property owners are affected by the change."We wanna make this right for the citizens," Points said.For those homeowners, the financial impact could be significant. David Martin, an insurance agent with The Hartwell Corporation, said the savings across the affected area could add up to several hundred thousand dollars in insurance premiums annually and that the broader effect on the neighborhood could be substantial."I would expect for it to go down by as much as half, maybe even more, depending on how much of a house is insured," Martin said."Sounds to me like... something similar to like a large tax cut for that part of town," Martin said.However, Martin cautioned that the change is not automatic, and homeowners should not cancel their flood insurance without first consulting their lender and insurance agent."Start by checking with your lender, seeing if this change actually affects you. You can also call your insurance agent," Martin said.The City of Nampa has mailed out informational materials, including maps and contact information, to help residents understand how the changes may affect them. A map and additional links are available on our website.For Canyon County happenings, news, and more join our Facebook Group: 2C Neighborhood News - Nampa, Caldwell, MiddletonThis story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less