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 4.0For strong wind, Beachwood’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Beachwood gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #180 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then strong wind (26%). Flood insurance has paid 29 claims here since 1984.
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 Beachwood 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
Strong wind
Hurricanes
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 Beachwood’s grade
River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Beachwood, and Beachwood’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 26%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #180 of 468 in New Jersey; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Beachwood’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New Jersey town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Beachwood has less expected damage per building than 62% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Beachwood: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Beachwood flood? Sometimes: 29 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Beachwood, from FEMA’s records: 6.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy23 claims · $1.2M
- The December Storm - nor’easter1 claim · $37K
Beachwood isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ocean County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Beachwood
Disasters that paid out in Beachwood itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Beachwood), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$25K to the Borough of Beachwood for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy409 households applied for aid$147K aid approved$1.3M to the Borough of Beachwood for repairs23 flood claims paid for it, $1.2M
- 2011Hurricane Irene11 households applied for aid$9K aid approved$19K to the Borough of Beachwood for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$24K to the Borough of Beachwood for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding9 households applied for aid$6K aid approved$20K to the Borough of Beachwood for repairs
- 2009Snowstorm$32K to the Borough of Beachwood 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 Beachwood after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Beachwood archive →Beachwood and its neighbors
Beachwood has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beachwood | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Berkeley Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 1,689 |
| South Toms River | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 39 |
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 Beachwood 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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 Beachwood
Is Beachwood at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Beachwood has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #180 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and strong wind (26%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Beachwood flood?
Flood insurance has paid 29 claims in Beachwood since 1984, $1.3M in all, or 6.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (23).
Is Beachwood 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 Beachwood?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Beachwood’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 Beachwood?
By FEMA money that reached Beachwood, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 409 households applied for aid, $147K approved, and $1.3M to the Borough of Beachwood for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 23 paid, $1.2M.
Is Beachwood at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Beachwood’s rate for it is lower than 60% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Beachwood.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Beachwood’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.