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–Not graded
Natural hazards in Mermentau · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Mermentau

Mermentau isn’t graded for hazard risk: Mermentau has 627 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1994.

Flood claims
11
paid since 1994 · $111K
Disasters paid out here
7
of 31 declared for Acadia Parish
By hazard

What Mermentau 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

56%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once a year in the area

Hurricanes

39%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Coastal flooding top 5% Hail Earthquakes Ice storms Strong wind Wildfire Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts drought at 8% of Mermentau’s expected losses. Drought does little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Flood insurance claims

Does Mermentau flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1994

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mermentau, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1994: 1 claim1995: 1 claim1996: 0 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 3 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 4 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199420132016
19942026
Biggest named events
  • The Mid-summer severe storms4 claims · $56K
11
paid claims since 1994
$111K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$10K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Mermentau isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Acadia Parish.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Mermentau

Disasters that paid out in Mermentau itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Mermentau), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2020Hurricane Delta33 households applied for aid$27K aid approved
  2. 2020Hurricane Laura71 households applied for aid$43K aid approved
  3. 2016Severe Storms and Flooding40 households applied for aid$19K aid approved4 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2008Hurricane Gustav53 households applied for aid$47K aid approved
  5. 2005Hurricane Rita328 households applied for aid$380K aid approved
  6. 2005Hurricane Katrina16 households applied for aid$20K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding8 households applied for aid$15K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MermentauAcadia Parish only

Acadia Parish has had 31 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms.

Were you here?

Old photos of Mermentau after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Mermentau archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Mermentau faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Mermentau

Does Mermentau flood?

Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Mermentau since 1994, $111K in all. The most claims came from Mid-summer severe storms (4).

Is Mermentau 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 Acadia Parish, 25% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 9.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Mermentau?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mermentau’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 Mermentau?

By FEMA money that reached Mermentau, Hurricane Rita (2005): 328 households applied for aid, $380K approved. By flood claims, Mid-summer severe storms: 4 paid, $56K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mermentau.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mermentau’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.