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Highland LakePhoto: Kritzolina · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Highland Lakes · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Highland Lakes

Highland Lakes isn’t graded for hazard risk: Highland Lakes is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1984.

Flood claims
6
paid since 1984 · $68K
Disasters paid out here
0
of 20 declared for Sussex County
By hazard

What Highland Lakes 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

73%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Strong wind

18%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 5 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Hurricanes Tornadoes Winter storms Ice storms Landslides top 3% Hail Lightning Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 35% of Highland Lakes’ expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Highland Lakes flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1984

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Highland Lakes, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1984: 2 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 3 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198420102011
19842026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene3 claims · $60K
  • The March 2010 nor’easter1 claim · $6K
6
paid claims since 1984
$68K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Highland Lakes isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Sussex County.
Disasters

The storms Highland Lakes remembers

None of the 20 disasters declared for Sussex County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Highland Lakes itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20113 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, declared for Sussex County
  2. 19842 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
  3. 20101 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Highland LakesSussex County only

Sussex County has had 20 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 Highland Lakes after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Highland Lakes archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Highland Lakes 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 ↗
High winds
  • Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
  • Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
  • Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
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 Highland Lakes

Does Highland Lakes flood?

Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Highland Lakes since 1984, $68K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (3).

Is Highland Lakes 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 Sussex County, 36% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Highland Lakes?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Highland Lakes’ 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 Highland Lakes?

By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 3 paid, $60K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Highland Lakes.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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