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Natural hazards · Wantage

Wantage, NJ natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wantage comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is moderate for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1983. 7 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Wantage?

47
Moderate
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wantage to be higher than in 47% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and cold waves.

Inland flooding52%Cold waves26%Strong wind12%Everything else10%
By hazard

What Wantage faces

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

Inland flooding

52% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 65% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Cold waves

26% of expected damage
Below average · higher than 35% of U.S. places
Recorded about once a year in the area

Strong wind

12% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Lower here

HurricanesTornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesLightningDroughtAvalanches

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingTsunamisVolcanic 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 Wantage flood?

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

7paid claims since 1983
$181Kpaid to owners
0homes flooded more than once
19832026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Irene: 5 claims, $179K
of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
No community discount. Wantage isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sussex County.
Disasters that hit Wantage

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into WantageDeclared for Sussex County only
2021

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$80K to the Township of Wantage for repairs
2020

Tropical Storm Isaias

$28K to the Township of Wantage for repairs
2012

Hurricane Sandy

25 households applied for aid $50K to the Township of Wantage for repairs
2011

Severe Storm

$33K to the Township of Wantage for repairs
2011

Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee

$8K to the Township of Wantage for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

99 households applied for aid $236K aid approved $242K to the Township of Wantage for repairs
2007

Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding

$30K to the Township of Wantage for repairs
Sussex County has had 22 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and hurricanes.
Around Wantage

Wantage and the towns around it

Vernon: Low, mostly inland floodingHardyston: Low, mostly inland floodingMontague: High, mostly inland floodingFrankford: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWest Milford: High, mostly inland floodingWarwick: Moderate, mostly inland floodingHamburg: High, mostly inland floodingFranklin: Moderate, mostly inland floodingLafayette: Low, mostly inland floodingSparta: Low, mostly inland floodingOgdensburg: Low, mostly inland floodingJefferson: Low, mostly inland floodingWestfall: Very high, mostly inland floodingDingman: Low, mostly inland floodingSandyston: High, mostly inland floodingMilford: Very high, mostly inland floodingMilford: Very high, mostly inland floodingHampton: Low, mostly inland floodingWantage: Moderate, mostly inland flooding WantageVernonHardystonMontagueFrankford
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
Montaguemostly inland floodingHigh
Frankfordmostly inland floodingModerate
Wantagemostly inland floodingModerate
Vernonmostly inland floodingLow
Hardystonmostly 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. Wantage covers 3 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wantage’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the Township of Wantage. 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 Wantage total about $4.5M 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/15 · 2025-01-01
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