Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Merrill faces more hazard damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Merrill gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns, #343 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2023.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
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
Tornadoes
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.
What’s behind Merrill’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Merrill, and Merrill’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts. Next is tornadoes at 7% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).
C #343 of 362 in Wisconsin; higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Merrill’s residents live in 5 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Wisconsin town has lower expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Merrill has more expected damage per building than 95% of Wisconsin towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.2M a year in losses across Merrill: $3.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Merrill flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2023
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Merrill, from FEMA’s records: 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
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: Lincoln County.The storms Merrill remembers
None of the 6 disasters declared for Lincoln County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Merrill itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20231 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lincoln County has had 6 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 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
Merrill is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine River | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Scott | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Merrill | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Merrill | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
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.
- 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.
- 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 at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Merrill has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk, #343 of 362 in Wisconsin. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%) and tornadoes (7%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Merrill flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Merrill since 2023, $16K in all, or 0.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
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 Lincoln 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 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.
Is Merrill at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Merrill’s rate for it is higher than 83% of U.S. census tracts.
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.