Storms, floods and disasters in Fords
Fords isn’t graded for hazard risk: Fords is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1978.
What Fords 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
Strong wind
Earthquakes
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 Fords flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fords, from FEMA’s records.
- The December Storm - nor’easter1 claim · $6K
Fords 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.The storms Fords remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Middlesex County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fords itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19781 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19811 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19921 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storm, High Tides, Heavy Rain, and Flooding, declared for Middlesex County
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 Fords after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fords archive →Fords 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodbridge Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 597 |
| Edison Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 154 |
| Keasbey | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Hopelawn | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Menlo Park Terrace | — | 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 Fords 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Fords
Does Fords flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Fords since 1978, $35K in all. The most claims came from December Storm - Nor'easter (1).
Is Fords 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 Fords?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fords’ 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 Fords?
By flood claims, December Storm - Nor'easter: 1 paid, $6K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fords.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fords’ 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.