Photo: AEMoreira042281 · CC BY-SA 3.0FEMA puts Dunellen’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 89% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dunellen gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns, #428 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 362 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 Dunellen’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Dunellen 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.
What’s behind Dunellen’s grade
River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Dunellen, and Dunellen’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 3%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
D #428 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Dunellen’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, Dunellen has more expected damage per building than 91% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $3.5M a year in losses across Dunellen: $2.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Dunellen flood? Yes: 362 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Dunellen, from FEMA’s records: 126.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene91 claims · $936K
- Hurricane Ida75 claims · $1.9M
- The March 2010 nor’easter46 claims · $562K
Dunellen isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Middlesex County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Dunellen
Disasters that paid out in Dunellen itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Dunellen), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida202 households applied for aid$479K aid approved$758K to the Borough of Dunellen for repairs75 flood claims paid for it, $1.9M
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$19K to the Borough of Dunellen for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy296 households applied for aid$24K aid approved$338K to the Borough of Dunellen for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2011Hurricane Irene163 households applied for aid$262K aid approved$139K to the Borough of Dunellen for repairs91 flood claims paid for it, $936K
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to the Borough of Dunellen for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding29 households applied for aid$30K aid approved$61K to the Borough of Dunellen for repairs
Show all 8
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding22 households applied for aid$20K aid approved$23K to the Borough of Dunellen for repairs13 flood claims paid that year
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$121K to the Borough of Dunellen for repairs40 flood claims paid for it, $337K
Middlesex County has had 22 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 Dunellen after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Dunellen archive →Dunellen and its neighbors
Dunellen is 3rd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piscataway Township | C−more damage than 81% | river and rain flooding | 232 |
| Green Brook Township | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 268 |
| Dunellen | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 362 |
| Plainfield | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 961 |
| Middlesex | Dmore damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 977 |
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 Dunellen 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 Dunellen
Is Dunellen at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Dunellen has higher expected damage per building than 89% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #428 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). 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 Dunellen flood?
Flood insurance has paid 362 claims in Dunellen since 1978, $6.4M in all, or 126.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 60 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (91).
Is Dunellen 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 Middlesex County, 54% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Dunellen?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Dunellen’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 Dunellen?
By FEMA money that reached Dunellen, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 202 households applied for aid, $479K approved, and $758K to the Borough of Dunellen for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 91 paid, $936K.
Is Dunellen at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Dunellen’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Dunellen.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Dunellen’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.