Merrimac Ferry · Photo: User:Freekee · Public domainStorms, floods and disasters in Merrimac
Merrimac isn’t graded for hazard risk: Merrimac has 570 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.
What Merrimac 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
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 Merrimac flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Merrimac. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Merrimac isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sauk County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Merrimac
Disasters that paid out in Merrimac itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Village of Merrimac), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2026Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding3 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding51 households applied for aid$88K aid approved$3K to the Village of Merrimac for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
- 2000Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$4K to the Village of Merrimac for repairs
Sauk County has had 12 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 Merrimac after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Merrimac archive →Merrimac 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimac | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | — |
| West Point | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Lake Wisconsin | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Merrimac 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.
- 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 Merrimac
Is Merrimac 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 Sauk County, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Merrimac?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Merrimac’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 Merrimac?
By FEMA money that reached Merrimac, Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding (2008): 51 households applied for aid, $88K approved, and $3K to the Village of Merrimac for repairs.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Merrimac.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Merrimac’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.