Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0FEMA puts Belvidere’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belvidere gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, #449 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). Flood insurance has paid 155 claims here since 1979.
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 Belvidere’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Belvidere 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
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 Belvidere’s grade
River and rain flooding is 93% of the building damage FEMA expects in Belvidere, and Belvidere’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 2%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
D #449 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Belvidere’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New Jersey town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Belvidere has more expected damage per building than 96% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Belvidere: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Belvidere flood? Yes: 155 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belvidere, from FEMA’s records: 122.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene6 claims · $38K
- The Torrential rain4 claims · $72K
Belvidere 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.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Belvidere
Disasters that paid out in Belvidere itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Belvidere), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$1.5M to the Town of Belvidere for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida27 households applied for aid$6K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $11K
- 2021Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$22K to the Town of Belvidere for repairs
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$15K to the Town of Belvidere for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy88 households applied for aid$676 aid approved$54K to the Town of Belvidere for repairs
- 2011Severe Storm$18K to the Town of Belvidere for repairs
Show all 11
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$23K to the Town of Belvidere for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene115 households applied for aid$230K aid approved$11K to the Town of Belvidere for repairs6 flood claims paid for it, $38K
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding31 households applied for aid$41K aid approved$13K to the Town of Belvidere for repairs40 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding51 households applied for aid$77K aid approved43 flood claims paid that year
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding37 households applied for aid$93K aid approved$19K to the Town of Belvidere for repairs24 flood claims paid that year
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 Belvidere after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Belvidere archive →Belvidere and its neighbors
Belvidere is 4th of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Mount Bethel Township | B−less damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 124 |
| White Township | Dmore damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Lower Mount Bethel Township | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 228 |
| Belvidere | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 155 |
| Brookfield | — | 673 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 Belvidere 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.
- 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 Belvidere
Is Belvidere at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belvidere has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #449 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (93%). 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 Belvidere flood?
Flood insurance has paid 155 claims in Belvidere since 1979, $2.6M in all, or 122.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 40 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (6).
Is Belvidere 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 Belvidere?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Belvidere’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 Belvidere?
By FEMA money that reached Belvidere, Severe Storm and Flooding (2023): $1.5M to the Town of Belvidere for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 6 paid, $38K.
Is Belvidere at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (93%), and Belvidere’s rate for it is in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belvidere.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Belvidere’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.