Mercerville’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Mercerville comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 55 claims here since 1978.
What stands out about Mercerville’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
The storms Mercerville remembers
None of the disasters declared for Mercer County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mercerville itself in FEMA’s records.
- 201120 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
Mercer County has had 21 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Old photos of Mercerville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mercerville archive →How exposed is Mercerville?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 60% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Rated higher than 348 of the 564 New Jersey towns we cover.
Mercerville covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
What Mercerville faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Hurricanes
Strong wind
Earthquakes
Does Mercerville flood? Sometimes: 55 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mercerville, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene20 claims · $1.4M
- Hurricane Floyd9 claims · $55K
- The April 2007 nor’easter7 claims · $38K
Mercerville 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.Get ready for what Mercerville actually faces
A short kit for its top hazards, 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.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
Most disasters here begin in August–October
The month each of Mercer County’s 21 declared disasters began, since 1953.
What these numbers can and can’t tell you
- An average, not a forecast. FEMA’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 there, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings.
- Money that reached town. Flood claims are matched to Mercerville’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Mercerville.
- It follows property value. FEMA’s model weighs damage to buildings, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels. Across Mercerville, expected losses total about $4.6M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mercerville.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. An average of past damage, not a forecast.