Friendship United Methodist Church, Old · Photo: Linda Roy Walls · CC BY-SA 4.0Eden’s building-damage rate from coastal flooding is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eden gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (43%), then river and rain flooding (32%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What stands out about Eden’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Eden 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
Wildfire
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.
What’s behind Eden’s grade
Hurricanes are 43% of the building damage FEMA expects in Eden, and Eden’s rate of hurricanes damage is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 10%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
B lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Eden’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $318K a year in losses across Eden: $155K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Eden flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Eden. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Eden isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Somerset County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Eden
Disasters that paid out in Eden itself (aid to households or repair grants to Eden), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2003Hurricane Isabel7 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
Somerset County has had 9 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of Eden after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Eden archive →Eden and its neighbors
Eden has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eden | Bless damage than 64% | hurricanes | 0 |
| Allen | — | 55 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Eden 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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.
Questions about natural hazards in Eden
Is Eden at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Eden has lower expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (43%) and river and rain flooding (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Eden 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 Somerset County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 15.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Eden?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Eden’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Eden?
By FEMA money that reached Eden, Hurricane Isabel (2003): 7 households applied for aid, $15K approved.
Is Eden at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (43%), and Eden’s rate for it is higher than 88% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Eden.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Eden’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.