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Kenilworth Municipal BuildingPhoto: Alyssa Maree Padovano · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Kenilworth · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Kenilworth faces less hazard damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kenilworth gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #103 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%), then earthquakes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 154 claims here since 1984.

River and rain flooding 78%Earthquakes 12%Hurricanes 5%

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 68%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#103 of 468 in New Jersey
Hazard risk
B+#103 of 468
in New Jersey · lower than 68% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
78% of expected building damage
Flood claims
154
paid since 1984 · $2.4M
Flooded more than once
12
properties
Disasters paid out here
9
of 21 declared for Union County

What stands out about Kenilworth’s natural hazards

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

Lower expected damage than 68% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.154 paid flood claims since 1984$2.4M in all; 12 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 93% of U.S. towns.Remembers 201183 flood claims were paid for 2011 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Kenilworth 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

78%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

12%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 10 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Ice storms Strong wind Hail Winter storms Lightning Wildfire 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 Kenilworth’s grade

River and rain flooding is 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kenilworth, and Kenilworth’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 12% (higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Kenilworth sits
Kenilworth
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #103 of 468 in New Jersey; lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding78%Earthquakes12%Hurricanes5%Everything else5%

The typical New Jersey town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Kenilworth has less expected damage per building than 78% of New Jersey towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.7M a year in losses across Kenilworth: $2.0M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Kenilworth’s 8,427 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’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 Kenilworth flood? Yes: 154 flood claims since 1984

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kenilworth, from FEMA’s records: 50.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1984: 1 claim1985: 0 claims1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 1 claim1989: 2 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 1 claim1993: 0 claims1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 2 claims1997: 1 claim1998: 0 claims1999: 18 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 8 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 4 claims2011: 83 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 28 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 1 claim2026: 0 claims199920112021
19842026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene83 claims · $1.5M
  • Hurricane Ida27 claims · $594K
  • Hurricane Floyd18 claims · $105K
154
paid claims since 1984
$2.4M
paid to owners
12
homes flooded more than once
$15K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Union County.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Kenilworth

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

  1. 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida110 households applied for aid$279K aid approved$83K to the Borough of Kenilworth for repairs27 flood claims paid for it, $594K
  2. 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$38K to the Borough of Kenilworth for repairs
  3. 2012Hurricane Sandy200 households applied for aid$14K aid approved$154K to the Borough of Kenilworth for repairs
  4. 2011Severe Storm$23K to the Borough of Kenilworth for repairs
  5. 2011Hurricane Irene214 households applied for aid$607K aid approved$103K to the Borough of Kenilworth for repairs83 flood claims paid for it, $1.5M
  6. 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$14K to the Borough of Kenilworth for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding17 households applied for aid$15K aid approved
  2. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding55 households applied for aid$65K aid approved$12K to the Borough of Kenilworth for repairs8 flood claims paid that year
  3. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$20K to the Borough of Kenilworth for repairs18 flood claims paid for it, $105K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in KenilworthUnion County only

Union County has had 21 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 Kenilworth after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Kenilworth archive →
Next door

Kenilworth and its neighbors

Kenilworth is 2nd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Union Township: hazard risk B+Cranford Township: hazard risk C+Roselle Park: hazard risk A−Springfield Township: hazard risk CUnion TownshipCranford TownshipRoselle ParkSpringfield TownshipKenilworth
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Roselle ParkA−less damage than 84%river and rain flooding60
KenilworthB+less damage than 68%river and rain flooding154
Union TownshipB+less damage than 67%river and rain flooding361
Cranford TownshipC+more damage than 58%river and rain flooding1,484
Springfield TownshipCmore damage than 73%river and rain flooding337

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 Kenilworth 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Kenilworth

Is Kenilworth at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kenilworth has lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #103 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (78%) and earthquakes (12%). 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 Kenilworth flood?

Flood insurance has paid 154 claims in Kenilworth since 1984, $2.4M in all, or 50.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 93% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 12 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (83).

Is Kenilworth 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 Union County, 49% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.9% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Kenilworth?

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

By FEMA money that reached Kenilworth, Hurricane Irene (2011): 214 households applied for aid, $607K approved, and $103K to the Borough of Kenilworth for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 83 paid, $1.5M.

Is Kenilworth at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Kenilworth’s rate for it is lower than 51% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kenilworth.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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