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HARTLEY FARMS, MORRIS COUNTYPhoto: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
C+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Harding Township · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Harding 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, Harding Township gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #242 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (90%). Flood insurance has paid 18 claims here since 1996.

River and rain flooding 90%Hurricanes 4%Earthquakes 4%

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

more than 57%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#242 of 468 in New Jersey
Hazard risk
C+#242 of 468
in New Jersey · higher than 57% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
90% of expected building damage
Flood claims
18
paid since 1996 · $290K
Disasters paid out here
11
of 25 declared for Morris County
By hazard

What Harding 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

90%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Hail Wildfire Lightning Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Harding Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 90% of the building damage FEMA expects in Harding Township, and Harding Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Harding Township sits
Harding Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C+ #242 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Harding Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding90%Hurricanes4%Earthquakes4%Everything else3%

The typical New Jersey town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Harding Township has more expected damage per building than 52% of New Jersey towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Harding Township: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Harding Township’s 3,871 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with New Vernon CDP (825 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the township’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Harding Township flood? Sometimes: 18 flood claims since 1996

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Harding Township, from FEMA’s records: 12.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1996: 3 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 5 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 5 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 2 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199619992011
19962026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene5 claims · $78K
  • Hurricane Floyd5 claims · $95K
  • The December nor’easter1 claim · $8K
18
paid claims since 1996
$290K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$16K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Harding 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: Morris County.
Disasters

11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Harding Township

Disasters that paid out in Harding Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Harding Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida$21K to Harding Township for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $25K
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$19K to Harding Township for repairs
  3. 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$36K to Harding Township for repairs
  4. 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$46K to Harding Township for repairs
  5. 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$27K to Harding Township for repairs
  6. 2012Hurricane Sandy$334K to Harding Township for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
Show all 11
  1. 2011Severe Storm$26K to Harding Township for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene$45K to Harding Township for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $78K
  3. 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$9K to Harding Township for repairs
  4. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$5K to Harding Township for repairs
  5. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$6K to Harding Township for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $95K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Harding TownshipMorris County only

Morris County has had 25 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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Harding Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Harding Township archive →
Next door

Harding Township and its neighbors

Harding Township is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Bernards Township: hazard risk B−Basking Ridge: not gradedMorris Township: hazard risk BBernardsville: hazard risk BChatham Township: not gradedGreen Village: not gradedLong Hill Township: hazard risk C−Bernards TownshipBasking RidgeMorris TownshipBernardsvilleChatham TownshipGreen VillageLong Hill TownshipHarding Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
BernardsvilleBless damage than 62%river and rain flooding23
Morris TownshipBless damage than 60%river and rain flooding58
Bernards TownshipB−more damage than 50%river and rain flooding69
Harding TownshipC+more damage than 57%river and rain flooding18
Long Hill TownshipC−more damage than 83%river and rain flooding150
Basking Ridge—a Census area inside a town; graded with the town
Chatham Township—not graded yet
Green Village—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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Harding 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.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Harding Township

Is Harding Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Harding Township has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #242 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 Harding Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 18 claims in Harding Township since 1996, $290K in all, or 12.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (5).

Is Harding 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 Morris County, 1.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Harding Township?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Harding 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 Harding Township?

By FEMA money that reached Harding Township, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $334K to Harding Township for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 5 paid, $78K.

Is Harding Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (90%), and Harding Township’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Harding Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Harding 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.