Eastover · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Manalapan
Manalapan isn’t graded for hazard risk: Manalapan has 353 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 23 claims here since 1979.
What Manalapan faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
Coastal flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
Does Manalapan flood? Sometimes: 23 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Manalapan, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Frances3 claims · $97K
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $61K
- Hurricane Irma1 claim · $206K
Manalapan is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Palm Beach County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Manalapan
Disasters that paid out in Manalapan itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Manalapan), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2017Hurricane Irma2 households applied for aid$65K to the Town of Manalapan for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $206K
- 2016Hurricane Matthew$6K to the Town of Manalapan for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Wilma$185K to the Town of Manalapan for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $18K
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne1 households applied for aid$29K to the Town of Manalapan for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Frances1 households applied for aid$79K to the Town of Manalapan for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $97K
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$4K to the Town of Manalapan for repairs2 flood claims paid that year
Palm Beach County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Palm Beach County, 1999–1999.
Old photos of Manalapan after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Manalapan archive →Manalapan and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lantana | Cmore damage than 70% | hurricanes | 88 |
| Boynton Beach | Cmore damage than 70% | hurricanes | 257 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Manalapan faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- 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 your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- Manalapan residents get 10% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Manalapan
Does Manalapan flood?
Flood insurance has paid 23 claims in Manalapan since 1979, $549K in all. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Frances (3).
Is Manalapan in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Palm Beach County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 13.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Manalapan?
Manalapan is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 8), which takes 10% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Manalapan?
By FEMA money that reached Manalapan, Hurricane Wilma (2005): $185K to the Town of Manalapan for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Frances: 3 paid, $97K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Manalapan.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Manalapan’s residents lived in the 2020 census; 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. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.