Natural hazards · Mountainside

Mountainside, NJ natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Mountainside comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 15 claims here since 1979. 9 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Mountainside?

Low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Mountainside to be higher than in 37% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding73%Earthquakes9%Everything else19%

By hazard

What Mountainside faces

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

Inland flooding

73% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 59% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Mountainside flood?

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

15paid claims since 1979

$330Kpaid to owners

2homes flooded more than once

19792026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Irene: 4 claims, $86K
Not a named storm: 3 claims, $18K
Hurricane Ida: 3 claims, $174K

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. Mountainside isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Union County.

Disasters that hit Mountainside

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into MountainsideDeclared for Union County only

2021

Remnants of Hurricane Ida

58 households applied for aid $179K aid approved

2016

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$97K to the Borough of Mountainside for repairs

2012

Hurricane Sandy

131 households applied for aid $19K aid approved $379K to the Borough of Mountainside for repairs

2011

Severe Storm

$27K to the Borough of Mountainside for repairs

2011

Hurricane Irene

57 households applied for aid $71K aid approved $73K to the Borough of Mountainside for repairs

2010

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$51K to the Borough of Mountainside for repairs

2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

4 households applied for aid $2K aid approved

2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

11 households applied for aid $9K aid approved

1999

Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations

$19K to the Borough of Mountainside for repairs

Union County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.

Around Mountainside

Mountainside and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Berkeley Heightsmostly inland floodingModerate

Summitmostly inland floodingModerate

Mountainsidemostly inland floodingLow

Westfieldmostly inland floodingLow

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. Mountainside covers 1 census tract, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Mountainside’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Borough of Mountainside. 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 Mountainside total about $2.6M 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.