Natural hazards · Greenwich

Greenwich, NJ natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Greenwich comes from hurricanes, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 75 claims here since 1978. 6 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Greenwich?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

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

Hurricanes25%Inland flooding25%Coastal flooding14%Drought10%Cold waves6%Earthquakes5%Everything else15%

By hazard

What Greenwich faces

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

Hurricanes

25% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 83% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Inland flooding

25% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 9% of U.S. places

Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Coastal flooding

14% of expected damage

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

Drought

10% of expected damage

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Cold waves

6% of expected damage

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

Recorded about once a year in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage

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

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

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 Greenwich flood?

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

75paid claims since 1978

$533Kpaid to owners

5homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Irene: 13 claims, $64K
April 2007 Nor'easter: 5 claims, $23K
Hurricane Floyd: 4 claims, $23K

Homes that flooded again and again

■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Greenwich isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Cumberland County.

Disasters that hit Greenwich

6 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into GreenwichDeclared for Cumberland County only

2012

Hurricane Sandy

10 households applied for aid $33K aid approved

2012

Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds

$3K to the Township of Greenwich for repairs

2011

Hurricane Irene

13 households applied for aid $27K aid approved $3K to the Township of Greenwich for repairs

2010

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$10K to the Township of Greenwich for repairs

2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

4 households applied for aid $2K aid approved $3K to the Township of Greenwich for repairs

2009

Snowstorm

$8K to the Township of Greenwich for repairs

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

Around Greenwich

Greenwich and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Lower Alloways Creekmostly coastal floodingVery high

Greenwichmostly hurricanesLow

Stow Creekmostly hurricanesLow

Fairfieldmostly inland floodingLow

Hopewellmostly 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. Greenwich is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

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

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.