Storms, floods and disasters in Great Notch
Great Notch isn’t graded for hazard risk: Great Notch is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 40 claims here since 2011.
What Great Notch 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.
Does Great Notch flood? Sometimes: 40 flood claims since 2011
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Great Notch, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ida25 claims · $1.4M
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $9K
- The December nor’easter1 claim · $1K
Great Notch isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Passaic County.The storms Great Notch remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Passaic County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Great Notch itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 202126 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared for Passaic County
- 201811 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared for Passaic County
- 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, declared for Passaic County
Passaic County has had 21 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 Great Notch after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Great Notch archive →Great Notch 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland Park | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 572 |
| Little Falls Township | C−more damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 1,657 |
| Montclair State University | — | 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 Great Notch 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 Great Notch
Does Great Notch flood?
Flood insurance has paid 40 claims in Great Notch since 2011, $1.8M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (25).
Is Great Notch 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 Passaic County, 48% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Great Notch?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Great Notch’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 Great Notch?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 25 paid, $1.4M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Great Notch.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Great Notch’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.