Photo: Billertl · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Marengo
Marengo isn’t graded for hazard risk: Marengo has 577 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2016.
What Marengo 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 Marengo flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2016
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Marengo, from FEMA’s records.
Marengo isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ashland County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Marengo
Disasters that paid out in Marengo itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Marengo), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Storms and Flooding$328K to the Town of Marengo for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2013Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides$38K to the Town of Marengo for repairs
- 2012Severe Storms and Flooding$54K to the Town of Marengo for repairs
- 2001Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes$6K to the Town of Marengo for repairs
- 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$7K to the Town of Marengo for repairs
- 1999Wi-flood-07/20/99$4K to the Town of Marengo for repairs
Ashland County has had 11 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Marengo after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Marengo archive →Marengo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White River | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Ashland | — | 654 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Grand View | — | 584 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Lincoln | — | 261 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Morse | — | 608 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Gordon | — | 403 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 Marengo 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 Marengo
Does Marengo flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Marengo since 2016, $210K in all.
Is Marengo 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 Ashland County, 0.2% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Marengo?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Marengo’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 Marengo?
By FEMA money that reached Marengo, Severe Storms and Flooding (2016): $328K to the Town of Marengo for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Marengo.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Marengo’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.