Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Hopewell Township faces less hazard damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, led by river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hopewell Township gets an A for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, #25 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (49%), then hurricanes (24%). Flood insurance has paid 2 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 Hopewell 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
Strong wind
Earthquakes
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 Hopewell Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Hopewell Township, and Hopewell Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 8%, at a rate in the top 7% of U.S. census tracts.
A #25 of 468 in New Jersey; lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Hopewell 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, Hopewell Township has less expected damage per building than 95% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Hopewell Township: $772K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Hopewell Township flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Hopewell Township, from FEMA’s records: 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Hopewell 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: Cumberland County.The storms Hopewell Township remembers
None of the 23 disasters declared for Cumberland County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Hopewell Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19791 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 19801 flood claims paidThe year of Water Shortage, declared for Cumberland County
Cumberland County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter 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 Hopewell Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Hopewell Township archive →Hopewell Township and its neighbors
Hopewell Township is 2nd of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Deerfield Township | Aless damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Hopewell Township | Aless damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Bridgeton | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | 9 |
| Stow Creek Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Fairfield Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 1,845 |
| Greenwich Township | — | 731 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Silver Lake | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Sunset Lake | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Fairton | — | 930 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Shiloh | — | 228 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Seeley | — | 85 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Hopewell 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.
- 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.
- 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 Hopewell Township
Is Hopewell Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Hopewell Township has lower expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: A for hazard risk, #25 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (49%) and hurricanes (24%). 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 Hopewell Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Hopewell Township since 1979, $4K in all, or 1.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 75% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Hopewell 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 Cumberland County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Hopewell Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Hopewell Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Hopewell Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Hopewell Township’s rate for it is lower than 94% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Hopewell Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Hopewell 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.