Watsessing’s biggest natural hazard is inland flooding
Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Watsessing comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 205 claims here since 1981.
What stands out about Watsessing’s weather risks
Read from FEMA’s records below. The page puts what stands out first.
Does Watsessing flood? Yes: 205 flood claims since 1981
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Watsessing, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ida61 claims · $1.4M
- Hurricane Floyd49 claims · $298K
- Hurricane Irene47 claims · $313K
Watsessing isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Essex County.The storms Watsessing remembers
None of the disasters declared for Essex County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Watsessing itself in FEMA’s records.
- 202162 flood claims paidThe most in any one year on record
- 201149 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
- 199953 flood claims paidOne of the three biggest flood years on record
Essex County has had 25 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and severe storms.
Old photos of Watsessing after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Watsessing archive →How exposed is Watsessing?
FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings here to be higher than in 67% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.
Rated higher than 408 of the 564 New Jersey towns we cover.
Watsessing covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
What Watsessing faces
Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how it compares with the rest of the country.
Inland flooding
Heat waves
Get ready for what Watsessing 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 the nearest cooling center or air-conditioned library.
- Drink water before you feel thirsty.
- Check on neighbors who live alone.
- Keep a shovel, a blanket and snacks in the car.
- Clear snow from furnace and dryer vents.
- Check on older neighbors when the power goes out.
- 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.
Watsessing and its neighbors
Watsessing ranks 2nd calmest of 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Rating | Mostly | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomfield | High | inland flooding | 520 |
| Watsessing | High | inland flooding | 205 |
| Glen Ridge | Low | inland flooding | 22 |
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 Essex County’s 25 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 Watsessing’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to Watsessing.
- 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 Watsessing, expected losses total about $1.8M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Watsessing.
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.