Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Boonton Township faces more hazard damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Boonton Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns, #418 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 47 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 Boonton Township 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 Boonton Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Boonton Township, and Boonton Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D #418 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Boonton Township’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, Boonton Township has more expected damage per building than 89% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.4M a year in losses across Boonton Township: $3.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Boonton Township flood? Sometimes: 47 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Boonton Township, from FEMA’s records: 30.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene7 claims · $584K
- Hurricane Floyd4 claims · $110K
Boonton Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Morris County.9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Boonton Township
Disasters that paid out in Boonton Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Boonton Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$8K to Boonton Township for repairs
- 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$46K to Boonton Township for repairs
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$35K to Boonton Township for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$60K to Boonton Township for repairs
- 2011Severe Storm$28K to Boonton Township for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$36K to Boonton Township for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $584K
Show all 9
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$38K to Boonton Township for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to Boonton Township for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$12K to Boonton Township for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $110K
Morris County has had 25 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 Boonton Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Boonton Township archive →Boonton Township and its neighbors
Boonton Township is 5th of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Lakes | A−less damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Rockaway Township | B+less damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 53 |
| Kinnelon | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Denville Township | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 778 |
| Boonton Township | Dmore damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 47 |
| Montville Township | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 104 |
| Boonton | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
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 Boonton Township 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 Boonton Township
Is Boonton Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Boonton Township has higher expected damage per building than 87% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #418 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). 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 Boonton Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 47 claims in Boonton Township since 1979, $1.1M in all, or 30.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 88% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 11 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (7).
Is Boonton Township 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 Morris County, 1.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Boonton Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Boonton Township’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 Boonton Township?
By FEMA money that reached Boonton Township, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $60K to Boonton Township for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 7 paid, $584K.
Is Boonton Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Boonton Township’s rate for it is in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Boonton Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Boonton Township’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.