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 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Cliffwood Beach
Cliffwood Beach isn’t graded for hazard risk: Cliffwood Beach is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 53 claims here since 1979.
What Cliffwood Beach faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Strong wind
River and rain flooding
Coastal flooding
Hurricanes
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 Cliffwood Beach flood? Sometimes: 53 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Cliffwood Beach, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy22 claims · $1.8M
- Hurricane Irene3 claims · $127K
- The March 2010 nor’easter3 claims · $115K
Cliffwood Beach isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Monmouth County.The storms Cliffwood Beach remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Monmouth County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Cliffwood Beach itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201222 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sandy, declared for Monmouth County
- 20114 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Irene, declared for Monmouth County
- 19843 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms and Flooding, declared for Monmouth County
Monmouth County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe 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 Cliffwood Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Cliffwood Beach archive →Cliffwood Beach 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Bridge Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 98 |
| Keyport | B−less damage than 51% | strong wind | 147 |
| Aberdeen Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
| Laurence Harbor | — | 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 Cliffwood Beach faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Cliffwood Beach
Does Cliffwood Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 53 claims in Cliffwood Beach since 1979, $2.5M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (22).
Is Cliffwood Beach 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 Monmouth County, 70% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 7.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Cliffwood Beach?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Cliffwood Beach’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 Cliffwood Beach?
By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 22 paid, $1.8M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Cliffwood Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Cliffwood Beach’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.