Sewaren is calmer than 82% of U.S. communities
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Sewaren comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 67 claims here since 1983.
What stands out about Sewaren’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
What Sewaren faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Coastal flooding
Earthquakes
Strong wind
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
How exposed is Sewaren?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 18% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and coastal flooding.
Calmer than 511 of the 564 New Jersey towns we cover.
Sewaren covers 1 census tract, combined by population.
The storms Sewaren remembers
None of the disasters declared for Middlesex County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sewaren itself in FEMA’s records.
- 201239 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
Middlesex County has had 23 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Old photos of Sewaren after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sewaren archive →Does Sewaren flood? Sometimes: 67 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sewaren, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy39 claims · $2.7M
- Hurricane Irene6 claims · $34K
- The December Storm - nor’easter5 claims · $49K
Sewaren isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Middlesex County.Get ready for what Sewaren 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.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
Sewaren and its neighbors
Sewaren ranks 2nd calmest of 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodbridge | Low | inland flooding | 597 |
| New York | Very low | inland flooding | 36,272 |
| Sewaren | Very low | inland flooding | 67 |
| Perth Amboy | Very low | inland flooding | 37 |
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 August–October
The month each of Middlesex County’s 23 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 Sewaren’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Sewaren.
- 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 Sewaren, expected losses total about $1.0M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sewaren.
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.