Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in Alpha than in 91% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alpha gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%), then hurricanes (13%). Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1982.
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 Alpha faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Strong wind
Earthquakes
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 Alpha’s grade
River and rain flooding is 64% of the building damage FEMA expects in Alpha, and Alpha’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 9%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Alpha’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $643K a year in losses across Alpha: $352K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Alpha flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Alpha, from FEMA’s records: 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Alpha isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Warren County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Alpha
Disasters that paid out in Alpha itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Alpha), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$38K to the Borough of Alpha for repairs
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida3 households applied for aid$6K aid approved
- 2021Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$26K to the Borough of Alpha for repairs
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$17K to the Borough of Alpha for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy11 households applied for aid$33K to the Borough of Alpha for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene15 households applied for aid$46K aid approved
Show all 9
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$154 aid approved
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$17K aid approved
Warren County has had 19 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Alpha after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Alpha archive →Alpha and its neighbors
Alpha 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Upper Pohatcong | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Alpha faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Alpha
Is Alpha at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Alpha has lower expected damage per building than 91% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (64%) and hurricanes (13%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Alpha flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Alpha since 1982, $1K in all, or 2.8 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Alpha 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 Warren County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Alpha?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Alpha’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 Alpha?
By FEMA money that reached Alpha, Hurricane Irene (2011): 15 households applied for aid, $46K approved.
Is Alpha at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (64%), and Alpha’s rate for it is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Alpha.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Alpha’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.