Natural hazards · Mercer

Mercer, IL natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Mercer comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2008.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Mercer?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Mercer to be higher than in 48% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and strong winds.

Inland flooding27%Strong wind19%Heat waves11%Lightning10%Tornadoes10%Cold waves9%Everything else15%

By hazard

What Mercer faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

27% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 45% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Strong wind

19% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Heat waves

11% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Lightning

10% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. places

Tornadoes

10% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 63% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 67 years in the area

Cold waves

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 51% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesHailWinter weatherWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Mercer flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mercer, from FEMA’s records.

1paid claims since 2008

$3Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

20082026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Ike: 1 claim, $3K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Mercer 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 that hit Mercer

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Mercer County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mercer itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into MercerDeclared for Mercer County only

Mercer County has had 13 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often floods and winter storms.

Around Mercer

Mercer and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Millersburgmostly inland floodingVery high

Abingtonmostly inland floodingVery high

Greenemostly inland floodingModerate

Ohio Grovemostly inland floodingModerate

Perrytonmostly inland floodingModerate

Mercermostly inland floodingModerate

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Mercer covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Mercer’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Mercer. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across Mercer total about $1.2M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); 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. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.