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 3.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Downe Township than almost anywhere in the U.S., mostly from coastal flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Downe Township gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (73%), then river and rain flooding (17%). Flood insurance has paid 428 claims here since 1978.
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 Downe Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Downe Township 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
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.
What’s behind Downe Township’s grade
Coastal flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Downe Township, and Downe Township’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 2%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D− among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Downe Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.3M a year in losses across Downe Township: $2.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Downe Township flood? Yes: 428 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Downe Township, from FEMA’s records: 435.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy120 claims · $6.0M
- Hurricane Gloria35 claims · $303K
- The December Storm - nor’easter18 claims · $127K
Downe 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: Cumberland County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Downe Township
Disasters that paid out in Downe Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Downe Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$1.4M to Downe Township for repairs13 flood claims paid for it, $257K
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$6.2M to Downe Township for repairs120 flood claims paid for it, $6.0M
- 2011Hurricane Irene$124K to Downe Township for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $23K
- 2011Severe Storms and Flooding$4K to Downe Township for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$3K to Downe Township for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$33K to Downe Township for repairs
Show all 8
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$4K to Downe Township for repairs
- 2009Snowstorm$4K to Downe Township for repairs
Cumberland County has had 23 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 Downe Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Downe Township archive →Downe Township and its neighbors
Downe Township is 4th of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millville | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Lawrence Township | C−more damage than 76% | coastal flooding | 211 |
| Commercial Township | Dmore damage than 87% | coastal flooding | 24 |
| Downe Township | D−among the highest damage | coastal flooding | 428 |
| Newport | — | 533 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Fortescue | — | 120 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Money Island | — | 25 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Gandys Beach | — | 43 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Port Norris | — | 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 Downe 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.
- 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.
- 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 Downe Township
Is Downe Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Downe Township has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (73%) and river and rain flooding (17%). 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 Downe Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 428 claims in Downe Township since 1978, $9.2M in all, or 435.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 38 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (120).
Is Downe 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 Cumberland County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Downe Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Downe 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 Downe Township?
By FEMA money that reached Downe Township, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $6.2M to Downe Township for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 120 paid, $6.0M.
Is Downe Township at risk from coastal flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Downe Township’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Downe Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Downe 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.