Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Montcalm

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Montcalm · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Montcalm

Montcalm isn’t graded for hazard risk: Montcalm has 484 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more.

Flood claims
0
paid since 1978 · $0
Disasters paid out here
7
of 22 declared for Mercer County
By hazard

What Montcalm 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

97%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Wildfire Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Hurricanes Winter storms Lightning Ice storms Cold waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingHeat wavesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 10% of Montcalm’s expected losses. Cold waves do 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 Montcalm flood? No paid flood claims on record

FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Montcalm. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.

of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Mercer County.
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Montcalm

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

  1. 2025Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides18 households applied for aid$189K aid approved
  2. 2024Post-tropical Storm Helene9 households applied for aid$33K aid approved
  3. 2010Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides15 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
  4. 2009Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides8 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
  5. 2004Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides40 households applied for aid$110K aid approved
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides53 households applied for aid$117K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 2003Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides10 households applied for aid$19K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in MontcalmMercer County only

Mercer County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Mercer County, 2001–2001.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Montcalm archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Montcalm 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 ↗
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 Montcalm

Is Montcalm 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 Mercer County, 13% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.8% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Montcalm?

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

By FEMA money that reached Montcalm, Severe Storm, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2025): 18 households applied for aid, $189K approved.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Montcalm.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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