Belford’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Belford comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 756 claims here since 1978.
What stands out about Belford’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Belford flood? Yes: 756 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belford, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy502 claims · $28.6M
- Hurricane Irene98 claims · $976K
- The December Storm - nor’easter84 claims · $871K
Belford isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Monmouth County.What Belford faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Strong wind
Coastal flooding
Heat waves
The storms Belford remembers
None of the disasters declared for Monmouth County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Belford itself in FEMA’s records.
- 2012503 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 201199 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
- 199285 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Monmouth County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.
Old photos of Belford after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Belford archive →How exposed is Belford?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 79% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and strong winds.
Rated higher than 483 of the 564 New Jersey towns we cover.
Belford covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
Get ready for what Belford 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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 Monmouth County’s 22 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 Belford’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Belford.
- 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 Belford, expected losses total about $2.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belford.
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.