Photo: Doug Kerr on Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bloomsbury has 841 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1996.
What Bloomsbury 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
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 Bloomsbury flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bloomsbury, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $3K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $13K
Bloomsbury isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Hunterdon County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bloomsbury
Disasters that paid out in Bloomsbury itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Bloomsbury), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida23 households applied for aid$40K aid approved$210K to the Borough of Bloomsbury for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $3K
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$5K to the Borough of Bloomsbury for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy50 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$9K to the Borough of Bloomsbury for repairs
- 2011Severe Storm$4K to the Borough of Bloomsbury for repairs
- 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$11K to the Borough of Bloomsbury for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene16 households applied for aid$55K aid approved$2K to the Borough of Bloomsbury for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $13K
Show all 8
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
- 2004Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$521 aid approved$1K to the Borough of Bloomsbury for repairs
Hunterdon County has had 18 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 Bloomsbury after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Bloomsbury archive →Bloomsbury 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Franklin Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Greenwich Township | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Pohatcong Township | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 147 |
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 Bloomsbury 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.
- 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 Bloomsbury
Does Bloomsbury flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Bloomsbury since 1996, $19K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (1).
Is Bloomsbury 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 Hunterdon County, 66% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Bloomsbury?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bloomsbury’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 Bloomsbury?
By FEMA money that reached Bloomsbury, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 23 households applied for aid, $40K approved, and $210K to the Borough of Bloomsbury for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 1 paid, $3K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bloomsbury.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bloomsbury’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.