Natural hazards · Fairfield

Fairfield, NJ natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Fairfield comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1,845 claims here since 1978. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Fairfield?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Fairfield to be higher than in 32% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and coastal flooding.

Inland flooding27%Coastal flooding21%Hurricanes18%Cold waves8%Earthquakes6%Everything else21%

By hazard

What Fairfield 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

Well below average · higher than 4% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

21% of expected damage

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

Hurricanes

18% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 9 years in the area

Cold waves

8% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 41% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

6% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 70% of U.S. places

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Fairfield flood?

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

1,845paid claims since 1978

$70.5Mpaid to owners

285homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Irene: 628 claims, $43.4M
April 2007 Nor'easter: 230 claims, $6.6M
March 2010 Nor'easter: 203 claims, $5.3M

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 5 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (107) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

🏷️ 20% off flood insurance. Fairfield is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 6) for its flood-proofing work.

Insurance rates: Cumberland County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

45homes raised above flood level

39flood-prone properties bought out and cleared

Disasters that hit Fairfield

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Fairfield itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the Township of Fairfield.

Brought FEMA money into FairfieldDeclared for Cumberland County only

2012

Hurricane Sandy

$220K to the Township of Fairfield for repairs

2012

Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds

$12K to the Township of Fairfield for repairs

2011

Hurricane Irene

$12K to the Township of Fairfield for repairs

2010

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$16K to the Township of Fairfield for repairs

2009

Snowstorm

$9K to the Township of Fairfield for repairs

Cumberland County has had 24 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around Fairfield

Fairfield and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lawrencemostly coastal floodingHigh

Fairfieldmostly inland floodingLow

Greenwichmostly hurricanesLow

Bridgetonmostly inland floodingVery low

Deerfieldmostly hurricanesVery low

Hopewellmostly inland floodingVery low

Upper Deerfieldmostly inland floodingVery low

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. Fairfield covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Fairfield’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Fairfield. 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 Fairfield total about $2.1M 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.