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GEORGE CHAMBERLAIN HOUSE, JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP, MORRIS COUNTYPhoto: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Jefferson Township · FEMA

FEMA puts Jefferson Township’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 71% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jefferson Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns, #91 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 77 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 87%Hurricanes 5%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

less than 71%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#91 of 468 in New Jersey
Hazard risk
B+#91 of 468
in New Jersey · lower than 71% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
77
paid since 1979 · $1.2M
Flooded more than once
10
properties
Disasters paid out here
12
of 25 declared for Morris County

What stands out about Jefferson Township’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Remembers 200033 flood claims were paid for 2000 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Jefferson 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

87%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Earthquakes Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Hail Lightning Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
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 10% of Jefferson Township’s 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.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Jefferson Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Jefferson Township, and Jefferson Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 5% (higher than 67% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Jefferson Township sits
Jefferson Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #91 of 468 in New Jersey; lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Jefferson Township’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Hurricanes5%Earthquakes4%Everything else4%

The typical New Jersey town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Jefferson Township has less expected damage per building than 81% of New Jersey towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.7M a year in losses across Jefferson Township: $4.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Jefferson Township covers 4 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Jefferson Township flood? Sometimes: 77 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Jefferson Township, from FEMA’s records: 8.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 4 claims1980: 1 claim1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 1 claim1984: 5 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 1 claim1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 33 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 2 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 2 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 1 claim2010: 7 claims2011: 19 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: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200020102011
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene19 claims · $539K
  • The March 2010 nor’easter7 claims · $178K
77
paid claims since 1979
$1.2M
paid to owners
10
homes flooded more than once
$16K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Jefferson 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

12 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Jefferson Township

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

  1. 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida$27K to Jefferson Township for repairs
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$229K to Jefferson Township for repairs
  3. 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$122K to Jefferson Township for repairs
  4. 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$93K to Jefferson Township for repairs
  5. 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$149K to Jefferson Township for repairs
  6. 2012Hurricane Sandy$592K to Jefferson Township for repairs
Show all 12
  1. 2011Severe Storm$70K to Jefferson Township for repairs
  2. 2011Hurricane Irene$73K to Jefferson Township for repairs19 flood claims paid for it, $539K
  3. 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$95K to Jefferson Township for repairs
  4. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$81K to Jefferson Township for repairs
  5. 2000Severe Storms, Flooding and Mudslides$254K to Jefferson Township for repairs33 flood claims paid that year
  6. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$23K to Jefferson Township for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Jefferson Township archive →
Next door

Jefferson Township and its neighbors

Jefferson Township is 5th of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

West Milford Township: hazard risk COak Ridge: not gradedLake Hopatcong: not gradedNewfoundland: not gradedHopatcong: hazard risk A−Roxbury Township: hazard risk A−Rockaway Township: hazard risk B+Mount Arlington: hazard risk ASparta Township: hazard risk A−Hardyston Township: hazard risk B+West Milford TownshipOak RidgeLake HopatcongNewfoundlandHopatcongRoxbury TownshipRockaway TownshipMount ArlingtonSparta TownshipHardyston TownshipJefferson Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Mount ArlingtonAless damage than 92%river and rain flooding2
HopatcongA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding11
Roxbury TownshipA−less damage than 79%river and rain flooding20
Sparta TownshipA−less damage than 77%river and rain flooding6
Jefferson TownshipB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding77
Rockaway TownshipB+less damage than 71%river and rain flooding53
Hardyston TownshipB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding1
West Milford TownshipCmore damage than 74%river and rain flooding104
Oak Ridge—a Census area inside a town; graded with the town
Lake Hopatcong—a Census area inside a town; graded with the town
Newfoundland—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 Jefferson 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 ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
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 Jefferson Township

Is Jefferson Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Jefferson Township has lower expected damage per building than 71% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #91 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and hurricanes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Jefferson Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 77 claims in Jefferson Township since 1979, $1.2M in all, or 8.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 10 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (19).

Is Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township?

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

By FEMA money that reached Jefferson Township, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $592K to Jefferson Township for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 19 paid, $539K.

Is Jefferson Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Jefferson Township’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Jefferson Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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