Photo: Shannon McGee · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Mentone
Mentone isn’t graded for hazard risk: Mentone has 377 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Mentone 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
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.
Does Mentone flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mentone. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Mentone isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: DeKalb County.4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mentone
Disasters that paid out in Mentone itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Mentone), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2014Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding2 households applied for aid$8K to the Town of Mentone for repairs
- 2011Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding30 households applied for aid$16K aid approved
- 2010Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding26 households applied for aid$38K aid approved
- 2000Severe Winter Storms$33K to the Town of Mentone for repairs
DeKalb County has had 30 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in DeKalb County, 1999–1999.
Old photos of Mentone after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mentone archive →Mentone and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Head | — | 669 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Mentone 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.
- 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 Mentone
Is Mentone 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 DeKalb County, 7% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Mentone?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mentone’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Mentone?
By FEMA money that reached Mentone, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2010): 26 households applied for aid, $38K approved.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mentone.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mentone’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.