Photo: Szeremeta · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Bay Head
Bay Head isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Bay Head yet. Flood insurance has paid 740 claims here since 1978.
What Bay Head 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
Coastal flooding
Strong wind
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 Bay Head flood? Yes: 740 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bay Head, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy566 claims · $64.1M
- The December Storm - nor’easter58 claims · $811K
- Hurricane Irene35 claims · $823K
Bay Head is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Ocean County.14 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bay Head
Disasters that paid out in Bay Head itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Bay Head), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$130K to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs
- 2019Severe Storms and Flooding$52K to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$16K to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy654 households applied for aid$3.1M aid approved$4.1M to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs566 flood claims paid for it, $64.1M
- 2011Hurricane Irene11 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$44K to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs35 flood claims paid for it, $823K
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs
Show all 14
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2K to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm$47K to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs
- 2009Snowstorm$7K to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Ida and a Nor'eas$14K to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs
- 2008Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$78K to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes$45K to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs
- 2007Snow$12K to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs
- 2004Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding$799 to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs
Ocean County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Ocean County, 2002–2025.
Old photos of Bay Head after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bay Head archive →Bay Head 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point Pleasant | C+more damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 1,125 |
| Mantoloking | — | 481 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 Bay Head 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- Bay Head residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Bay Head
Does Bay Head flood?
Flood insurance has paid 740 claims in Bay Head since 1978, $66.0M in all. 42 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (566).
Is Bay Head 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 Ocean County, 71% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 16.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bay Head?
Bay Head is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% 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 Bay Head?
By FEMA money that reached Bay Head, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 654 households applied for aid, $3.1M approved, and $4.1M to the Borough of Bay Head for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 566 paid, $64.1M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bay Head.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bay Head’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.