Gibbons, William, Stable and Farm · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Chatham Township
Chatham Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: FEMA’s tract figures aren’t matched to Chatham Township yet. Flood insurance has paid 11 claims here since 1982.
What Chatham 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.
Does Chatham Township flood? Sometimes: 11 flood claims since 1982
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chatham Township, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene4 claims · $29K
- The April 2007 nor’easter2 claims · $39K
- Hurricane Ida1 claim · $4K
Chatham 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 Chatham Township
Disasters that paid out in Chatham Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Chatham Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$80K to Chatham Township for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$181K to Chatham Township for repairs
- 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$213K to Chatham Township for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$423K to Chatham Township for repairs
- 2011Severe Storm$183K to Chatham Township for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene$33K to Chatham Township for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $29K
Show all 9
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$29K to Chatham Township for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$6K to Chatham Township for repairs
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$8K to Chatham Township for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $7K
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 Chatham Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chatham Township archive →Chatham Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Summit | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 61 |
| Harding Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 18 |
| Berkeley Heights Township | C+more damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 67 |
| Chatham | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
| Long Hill Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 150 |
| New Providence | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 65 |
| Green Village | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Gillette | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
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 Chatham 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 Chatham Township
Does Chatham Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 11 claims in Chatham Township since 1982, $90K in all. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (4).
Is Chatham 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 Chatham Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chatham 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 Chatham Township?
By FEMA money that reached Chatham Township, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $423K to Chatham Township for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 4 paid, $29K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chatham Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chatham 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.