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Natural hazards · Wildwood

Wildwood, NJ natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Wildwood comes from coastal flooding, and overall the risk is very high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 1,893 claims here since 1978. 8 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

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

How exposed is Wildwood?

90
Very high
vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Wildwood to be higher than in 90% of U.S. communities, mostly from coastal flooding and inland flooding.

Coastal flooding54%Inland flooding27%Hurricanes10%Everything else9%
By hazard

What Wildwood faces

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

Coastal flooding

54% of expected damage
Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Inland flooding

27% of expected damage
Above average · higher than 54% of U.S. places
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

10% of expected damage
Well above average · higher than 87% of U.S. places
Recorded about once every 6 years in the area

Lower here

TornadoesHailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesStrong windLightningDrought

Not a risk here

AvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic 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 Wildwood flood?

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

1,893paid claims since 1978
$30.1Mpaid to owners
252homes flooded more than once
19782026

Biggest named events

  • Hurricane Sandy: 393 claims, $12.1M
  • December Storm - Nor'easter: 148 claims, $1.9M
  • Winter Storm Jonas: 124 claims, $2.2M

Homes that flooded again and again

Each house = 5 homes. ■ FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (80) ■ flooded 2+ times

of homes in flood zones
are insured
of all homes
are insured
🏷️ 25% off flood insurance. Wildwood is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Cape May County.

What’s been done with FEMA grants

10homes raised above flood level
Disasters that hit Wildwood

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

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

Brought FEMA money into WildwoodDeclared for Cape May County only
2021

Remnants of Hurricane Ida

1 household applied for aid
2020

Tropical Storm Isaias

$10K to the City of Wildwood for repairs
2016

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$202K to the City of Wildwood for repairs
2012

Hurricane Sandy

920 households applied for aid $1.4M aid approved $692K to the City of Wildwood for repairs
2011

Hurricane Irene

136 households applied for aid $114K aid approved $61K to the City of Wildwood for repairs
2010

Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm

$154K to the City of Wildwood for repairs
2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

45 households applied for aid $31K aid approved
2009

Severe Storms and Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Ida and a Nor'eas

$62K to the City of Wildwood for repairs
Cape May County has had 27 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often hurricanes and floods.
Around Wildwood

Wildwood and the towns around it

West Wildwood: Very high, mostly coastal floodingLower: High, mostly inland floodingMiddle: High, mostly inland floodingWildwood Crest: High, mostly inland floodingNorth Wildwood: Very high, mostly coastal floodingCape May: Moderate, mostly inland floodingWest Cape May: High, mostly inland floodingCape May Point: High, mostly inland floodingDennis: Moderate, mostly inland floodingAvalon: Very high, mostly inland floodingStone Harbor: Very high, mostly inland floodingSea Isle City: Very high, mostly inland floodingWildwood: Very high, mostly coastal flooding WildwoodWest WildwoodLowerMiddleWildwood CrestNorth Wildwood
Very lowLowModerateHighVery high
West Wildwoodmostly coastal floodingVery high
North Wildwoodmostly coastal floodingVery high
Wildwoodmostly coastal floodingVery high
Wildwood Crestmostly inland floodingHigh
Middlemostly inland floodingHigh
Lowermostly inland floodingHigh
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. Wildwood covers 2 census tracts, combined by population.
Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Wildwood’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Wildwood. 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 Wildwood total about $8.7M 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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