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 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Carlstadt than in 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from coastal flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carlstadt gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns, #463 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (76%), then river and rain flooding (18%). Flood insurance has paid 74 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 Carlstadt’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Carlstadt faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Coastal flooding
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 Carlstadt’s grade
Coastal flooding is 76% of the building damage FEMA expects in Carlstadt, and Carlstadt’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 18% (lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts).
D− #463 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Carlstadt’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, Carlstadt has more expected damage per building than 99% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $13.9M a year in losses across Carlstadt: $13.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Carlstadt flood? Sometimes: 74 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Carlstadt, from FEMA’s records: 27.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy16 claims · $4.5M
- Hurricane Irene8 claims · $754K
- Hurricane Ida4 claims · $120K
Carlstadt isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bergen County.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Carlstadt
Disasters that paid out in Carlstadt itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Carlstadt), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida132 households applied for aid$366K aid approved$244K to the Borough of Carlstadt for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $120K
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$20K to the Borough of Carlstadt for repairs
- 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$39K to the Borough of Carlstadt for repairs
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$51K to the Borough of Carlstadt for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy183 households applied for aid$18K aid approved$256K to the Borough of Carlstadt for repairs16 flood claims paid for it, $4.5M
- 2011Hurricane Irene60 households applied for aid$125K aid approved$32K to the Borough of Carlstadt for repairs8 flood claims paid for it, $754K
Show all 10
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$36K to the Borough of Carlstadt for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$27K to the Borough of Carlstadt for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding30 households applied for aid$65K aid approved5 flood claims paid that year
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$3K to the Borough of Carlstadt for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $57K
Bergen County has had 23 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 Carlstadt after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Carlstadt archive →Carlstadt and its neighbors
Carlstadt is 7th of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood-Ridge | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| North Bergen Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 109 |
| Secaucus | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 62 |
| Ridgefield | C−more damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 106 |
| South Hackensack Township | Dmore damage than 86% | coastal flooding | 45 |
| East Rutherford | Dmore damage than 86% | river and rain flooding | 236 |
| Carlstadt | D−more damage than 97% | coastal flooding | 74 |
| Moonachie | D−among the highest damage | coastal flooding | 234 |
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 Carlstadt faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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 Carlstadt
Is Carlstadt at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Carlstadt has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk, #463 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (76%) and river and rain flooding (18%). 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 Carlstadt flood?
Flood insurance has paid 74 claims in Carlstadt since 1979, $6.2M in all, or 27.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 87% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (16).
Is Carlstadt 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 Bergen County, 41% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Carlstadt?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Carlstadt’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 Carlstadt?
By FEMA money that reached Carlstadt, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 132 households applied for aid, $366K approved, and $244K to the Borough of Carlstadt for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 16 paid, $4.5M.
Is Carlstadt at risk from coastal flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (76%), and Carlstadt’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Carlstadt.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Carlstadt’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.