Storms, floods and disasters in Merrill
Merrill isn’t graded for hazard risk: Merrill has 372 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Merrill 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
Hurricanes
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 Merrill flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Merrill. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Merrill isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Aroostook County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Merrill
Disasters that paid out in Merrill itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Merrill), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2008Severe Storms and Flooding$2K to the Town of Merrill for repairs
Aroostook County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Merrill after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Merrill archive →Merrill 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moro plantation | — | 10 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Dyer Brook | — | 275 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Smyrna | — | 380 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 Merrill 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.
- 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.
- 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 Merrill
Is Merrill 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 Aroostook County, 0.3% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Merrill?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Merrill’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 Merrill?
By FEMA money that reached Merrill, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): $2K to the Town of Merrill for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Merrill.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Merrill’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.