Photo: Brylie · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Mertilla Township
Mertilla Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Mertilla Township has 238 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Mertilla Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Wildfire
River and rain flooding
Tornadoes
Hail
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 Mertilla Township flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Mertilla Township. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mertilla Township
Disasters that paid out in Mertilla Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Mertilla Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2015Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding$37K to Mertilla Township for repairs
- 2009Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow$2K to Mertilla Township for repairs
- 2006Severe Winter Storm$12K to Mertilla Township for repairs
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$13K to Mertilla Township for repairs
Meade County has had 12 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 Mertilla Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mertilla Township archive →Mertilla Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montezuma Township | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Meade Center Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | — |
| West Plains Township | C−more damage than 80% | wildfire | — |
| Crooked Creek Township | — | 90 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lockport Township | — | 495 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Seward Township | — | 222 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 Mertilla Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- 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 Mertilla Township
Is Mertilla Township 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.
How much is flood insurance in Mertilla Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mertilla Township’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 Mertilla Township?
By FEMA money that reached Mertilla Township, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (2015): $37K to Mertilla Township for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mertilla Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mertilla Township’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.