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Natural hazards · Spotswood

Spotswood, NJ natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Spotswood comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 37 claims here since 1978. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Spotswood?

68
High
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Spotswood to be higher than in 68% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding78%Everything else22%
By hazard

What Spotswood faces

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

Inland flooding

78% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 84% of U.S. places
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Lower here

Coastal floodingHurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

DroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Spotswood flood?

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

37paid claims since 1978
$375Kpaid to owners
3homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Irene: 13 claims, $134K
  • March 2010 Nor'easter: 1 claim, $1K
  • Hurricane Ida: 1 claim, $4K

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. Spotswood 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.
Disasters that hit Spotswood

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into SpotswoodDeclared for Middlesex County only
2021

Remnants of Hurricane Ida

33 households applied for aid $61K aid approved
2016

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$38K to the Borough of Spotswood for repairs
2012

Hurricane Sandy

162 households applied for aid $32K aid approved $141K to the Borough of Spotswood for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

106 households applied for aid $223K aid approved $1.2M to the Borough of Spotswood for repairs
2010

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$20K to the Borough of Spotswood for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

16 households applied for aid $50K aid approved $9K to the Borough of Spotswood for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

6 households applied for aid $7K aid approved $3K to the Borough of Spotswood for repairs
Middlesex County has had 23 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Around Spotswood

Spotswood and the towns around it

Monroe: Moderate, mostly inland floodingOld Bridge: Moderate, mostly inland floodingEast Brunswick: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHelmetta: High, mostly inland floodingManalapan: High, mostly inland floodingEast Windsor: Very high, mostly inland floodingCranbury: High, mostly inland floodingMillstone: High, mostly inland floodingSouth Brunswick: Low, mostly inland floodingAberdeen: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSayreville: Low, mostly inland floodingMatawan: High, mostly inland floodingMilltown: Very high, mostly inland floodingNorth Brunswick: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSouth River: Moderate, mostly inland floodingNew Brunswick: High, mostly inland floodingEdison: Moderate, mostly inland floodingSpotswood: High, mostly inland flooding SpotswoodMonroeOld BridgeEast BrunswickHelmetta
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Spotswoodmostly inland floodingHigh
Helmettamostly inland floodingHigh
Monroemostly inland floodingModerate
East Brunswickmostly inland floodingModerate
Old Bridgemostly inland floodingModerate
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. Spotswood covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Spotswood’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Borough of Spotswood. 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 Spotswood total about $2.9M 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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