Van Ness House · Photo: Walter Van Ness · CC BY-SA 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Fairfield Township faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfield Township gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns, #216 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%). Flood insurance has paid 1,821 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 Fairfield Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Fairfield 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
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 Fairfield Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 84% of the building damage FEMA expects in Fairfield Township, and Fairfield Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 9% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).
B− #216 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Fairfield Township’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, Fairfield Township has less expected damage per building than 54% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $6.4M a year in losses across Fairfield Township: $5.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Fairfield Township flood? Yes: 1,821 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fairfield Township, from FEMA’s records: 580.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene629 claims · $43.5M
- The April 2007 nor’easter231 claims · $6.6M
- The March 2010 nor’easter205 claims · $5.5M
Fairfield 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: Essex County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Fairfield Township
Disasters that paid out in Fairfield Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Fairfield Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida77 households applied for aid$130K aid approved52 flood claims paid for it, $3.7M
- 2012Hurricane Sandy56 households applied for aid$3K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2011Hurricane Irene929 households applied for aid$3.2M aid approved629 flood claims paid for it, $43.5M
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding114 households applied for aid$108K aid approved206 flood claims paid that year
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding212 households applied for aid$338K aid approved233 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding30 households applied for aid$15K aid approved48 flood claims paid that year
Essex County has had 24 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 Fairfield Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fairfield Township archive →Fairfield Township and its neighbors
Fairfield Township is 3rd of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Caldwell | B+less damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| West Caldwell Township | B+less damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 44 |
| Fairfield Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 1,821 |
| Wayne Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 5,568 |
| East Hanover Township | C−more damage than 77% | river and rain flooding | 89 |
| Montville Township | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 104 |
| Lincoln Park | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 2,935 |
| Pine Brook | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Towaco | — | 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 Fairfield 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.
- 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 Fairfield Township
Is Fairfield Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Fairfield Township has higher expected damage per building than 52% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #216 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (84%) and earthquakes (9%). 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 Fairfield Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,821 claims in Fairfield Township since 1978, $70.6M in all, or 580.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (629).
Is Fairfield 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 Essex County, 50% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fairfield Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fairfield 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 Fairfield Township?
By FEMA money that reached Fairfield Township, Hurricane Irene (2011): 929 households applied for aid, $3.2M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 629 paid, $43.5M.
Is Fairfield Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (84%), and Fairfield Township’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fairfield Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fairfield 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.