Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0For strong wind, Keansburg’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keansburg gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns, #255 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is strong wind (40%), then river and rain flooding (27%). Flood insurance has paid 1,147 claims here since 1980.
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 stands out about Keansburg’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Keansburg faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Strong wind
River and rain flooding
Coastal flooding
Hurricanes
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 Keansburg’s grade
Strong wind is 40% of the building damage FEMA expects in Keansburg, and Keansburg’s rate of strong wind damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 17%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #255 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Keansburg’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New Jersey town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Keansburg has more expected damage per building than 54% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.6M a year in losses across Keansburg: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Keansburg flood? Yes: 1,147 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Keansburg, from FEMA’s records: 280.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy1,012 claims · $49.4M
- Hurricane Irene87 claims · $828K
- The December Storm - nor’easter4 claims · $27K
Keansburg is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Monmouth County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Keansburg
Disasters that paid out in Keansburg itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Keansburg), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$24K to the Borough of Keansburg for repairs
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$24K to the Borough of Keansburg for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy2,656 households applied for aid$11.1M aid approved$5.5M to the Borough of Keansburg for repairs1,012 flood claims paid for it, $49.4M
- 2011Hurricane Irene167 households applied for aid$176K aid approved$206K to the Borough of Keansburg for repairs87 flood claims paid for it, $828K
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$27K to the Borough of Keansburg for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding28 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$397K to the Borough of Keansburg for repairs
Monmouth County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe 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 Keansburg after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Keansburg archive →Keansburg and its neighbors
Keansburg is 2nd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keyport | B−less damage than 51% | strong wind | 147 |
| Keansburg | C+more damage than 58% | strong wind | 1,147 |
| Aberdeen Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
| Middletown Township | Cmore damage than 65% | river and rain flooding | 1,461 |
| Hazlet Township | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 90 |
| Union Beach | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 1,416 |
| North Middletown | — | 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 Keansburg faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- 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.
- Keansburg residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Keansburg
Is Keansburg at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keansburg has higher expected damage per building than 58% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #255 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is strong wind (40%) and river and rain flooding (27%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Keansburg flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,147 claims in Keansburg since 1980, $50.6M in all, or 280.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 99% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 41 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (1,012).
Is Keansburg 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 Monmouth County, 70% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 7.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Keansburg?
Keansburg is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Keansburg?
By FEMA money that reached Keansburg, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 2,656 households applied for aid, $11.1M approved, and $5.5M to the Borough of Keansburg for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 1,012 paid, $49.4M.
Is Keansburg at risk from strong wind?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (40%), and Keansburg’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Keansburg.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Keansburg’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.