Photo: Smallbones · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Chesilhurst faces less hazard damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chesilhurst gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%), then wildfire (12%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 2013.
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 Chesilhurst 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
Wildfire
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
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 Chesilhurst’s grade
River and rain flooding is 63% of the building damage FEMA expects in Chesilhurst, and Chesilhurst’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 12%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
A lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Chesilhurst’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $239K a year in losses across Chesilhurst: $166K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Chesilhurst flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 2013
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Chesilhurst, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Chesilhurst isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Camden County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Chesilhurst
Disasters that paid out in Chesilhurst itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Chesilhurst), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Borough of Chesilhurst for repairs
- 2015Severe Storm$5K to the Borough of Chesilhurst for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy7 households applied for aid$9K aid approved
- 2011Hurricane Irene24 households applied for aid$44K aid approved$2K to the Borough of Chesilhurst for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$7K to the Borough of Chesilhurst for repairs
- 2009Snowstorm$19K to the Borough of Chesilhurst for repairs
Show all 7
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding3 households applied for aid$4K aid approved
Camden County has had 17 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter 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 Chesilhurst after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Chesilhurst archive →Chesilhurst and its neighbors
Chesilhurst has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesilhurst | Aless damage than 94% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Winslow Township | Aless damage than 92% | 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 Chesilhurst 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Chesilhurst
Is Chesilhurst at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Chesilhurst has lower expected damage per building than 94% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (63%) and wildfire (12%). 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 Chesilhurst flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Chesilhurst since 2013, $8K in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 65% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Chesilhurst 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 Camden County, 34% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Chesilhurst?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Chesilhurst’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 Chesilhurst?
By FEMA money that reached Chesilhurst, Hurricane Irene (2011): 24 households applied for aid, $44K approved, and $2K to the Borough of Chesilhurst for repairs.
Is Chesilhurst at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (63%), and Chesilhurst’s rate for it is lower than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Chesilhurst.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Chesilhurst’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.