Natural hazards · Union

Union, NJ natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Union comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 8 claims here since 1978. 4 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

Expected damage

How exposed is Union?

Moderate

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Union to be higher than in 43% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and heat waves.

Inland flooding56%Heat waves16%Earthquakes7%Cold waves7%Hurricanes5%Everything else9%

By hazard

What Union faces

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

Inland flooding

56% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places

Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Heat waves

16% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 20% of U.S. places

Recorded about 10 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

7% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 69% of U.S. places

Cold waves

7% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 27% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 2 years in the area

Hurricanes

5% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingWildfireDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Union flood?

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

8paid claims since 1978

$74Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19782026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Sandy: 2 claims, $16K
Hurricane Ida: 2 claims, $38K
December Storm - Nor'easter: 1 claim, $1K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

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

Insurance rates: Hudson County.

Disasters that hit Union

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into UnionDeclared for Hudson County only

2021

Remnants of Hurricane Ida

492 households applied for aid $1.3M aid approved

2012

Hurricane Sandy

1,324 households applied for aid $77K aid approved

2011

Hurricane Irene

28 households applied for aid $23K aid approved

2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

9 households applied for aid $4K aid approved

Hudson County has had 17 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and winter storms.

Around Union

Union and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

Hobokenmostly inland floodingVery high

West New Yorkmostly inland floodingHigh

Jersey Citymostly inland floodingModerate

Weehawkenmostly inland floodingModerate

North Bergenmostly inland floodingModerate

Union Citymostly 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. Union covers 18 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Union’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Union. 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 Union total about $10.1M 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.