Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0On FEMA’s figures, Franklin 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, Franklin Township gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #179 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%). Flood insurance has paid 10 claims here since 1979.
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 Franklin 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
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 Franklin Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 83% of the building damage FEMA expects in Franklin Township, and Franklin Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 5%, at a rate in the top 8% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #179 of 468 in New Jersey; lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Franklin 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, Franklin Township has less expected damage per building than 62% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Franklin Township: $1.6M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Franklin Township flood? Sometimes: 10 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Franklin Township, from FEMA’s records: 8.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $14K
- Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $5K
- The Torrential rain1 claim · $9K
Franklin 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: Warren County.The storms Franklin Township remembers
None of the 19 disasters declared for Warren County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Franklin Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20233 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm and Flooding, declared for Warren County
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, declared for Warren County
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Warren County has had 19 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 Franklin Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Franklin Township archive →Franklin Township and its neighbors
Franklin Township is 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 5 |
| Franklin Township | B−less damage than 53% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Greenwich Township | Cmore damage than 71% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Harmony Township | Cmore damage than 73% | river and rain flooding | 321 |
| Asbury | — | 241 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Bloomsbury | — | 841 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Washington Township | — | not graded yet | |
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 Franklin 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.
- 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 Franklin Township
Is Franklin Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Franklin Township has lower expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #179 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (83%) and hurricanes (6%). 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 Franklin Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 10 claims in Franklin Township since 1979, $59K in all, or 8.7 per 1,000 homes, more than 71% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).
Is Franklin 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 Warren County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Franklin Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Franklin 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 Franklin Township?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $14K.
Is Franklin Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (83%), and Franklin Township’s rate for it is higher than 65% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Franklin Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Franklin 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.