Hermitage is calmer than 81% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Hermitage comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 13 claims here since 1978. 1 federal disaster brought FEMA money into town.
What stands out about Hermitage’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
How exposed is Hermitage?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 19% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Calmer than 1,936 of the 2,558 Pennsylvania towns we cover.
Hermitage covers 5 census tracts, combined by population.
What Hermitage faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Tornadoes
Does Hermitage flood? Sometimes: 13 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hermitage, from FEMA’s records.
Hermitage 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.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Hermitage
Disasters that paid out in Hermitage itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Hermitage) and its biggest flood years.
- 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding41 households applied for aid$72K aid approved
Mercer County has had 11 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.
Old photos of Hermitage after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hermitage archive →Get ready for what Hermitage 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.
- 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.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- 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.
Hermitage and its neighbors
Hermitage ranks 2nd calmest of 9 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shenango | High | inland flooding | 0 |
| Brookfield | Low | inland flooding | 9 |
| Lackawannock | Low | inland flooding | 0 |
| Sharon | Low | inland flooding | 29 |
| South Pymatuning | Low | inland flooding | 1 |
| Clark | Low | inland flooding | 0 |
| Hermitage | Very low | inland flooding | 13 |
| Farrell | Very low | inland flooding | 2 |
| Sharpsville | Very low | inland flooding | 0 |
Rating = expected yearly storm and flood damage as a share of what’s there, vs. U.S. communities. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Most disasters here begin in May–July
The month each of Mercer County’s 11 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 Hermitage’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Hermitage.
- 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 Hermitage, expected losses total about $4.6M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hermitage.
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.