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 4.0Keyport’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keyport gets a B− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns, #192 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is strong wind (44%), then river and rain flooding (38%). Flood insurance has paid 147 claims here since 1978.
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 Keyport’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Keyport 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
Hurricanes
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 Keyport’s grade
Strong wind is 44% of the building damage FEMA expects in Keyport, and Keyport’s rate of strong wind damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 2%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #192 of 468 in New Jersey; lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Keyport’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, Keyport has less expected damage per building than 59% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Keyport: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Keyport flood? Yes: 147 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Keyport, from FEMA’s records: 42.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy59 claims · $3.6M
- The December Storm - nor’easter12 claims · $506K
- Hurricane Irene11 claims · $388K
Keyport isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Monmouth County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Keyport
Disasters that paid out in Keyport itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Keyport), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida10 households applied for aid$29K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$25K to the Borough of Keyport for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy1,005 households applied for aid$1.8M aid approved$550K to the Borough of Keyport for repairs59 flood claims paid for it, $3.6M
- 2011Hurricane Irene122 households applied for aid$156K aid approved$109K to the Borough of Keyport for repairs11 flood claims paid for it, $388K
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$21K to the Borough of Keyport for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding38 households applied for aid$41K aid approved$92K to the Borough of Keyport 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 Keyport after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Keyport archive →Keyport and its neighbors
Keyport has the lowest expected damage per building of the 5 graded towns here. 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 |
| Hazlet Township | Cmore damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 90 |
| Union Beach | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 1,416 |
| Cliffwood Beach | — | 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 Keyport 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.
- 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.
- 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 Keyport
Is Keyport at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Keyport has lower expected damage per building than 51% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #192 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is strong wind (44%) and river and rain flooding (38%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Keyport flood?
Flood insurance has paid 147 claims in Keyport since 1978, $6.5M in all, or 42.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 91% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 11 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (59).
Is Keyport 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 Keyport?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Keyport’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 Keyport?
By FEMA money that reached Keyport, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 1,005 households applied for aid, $1.8M approved, and $550K to the Borough of Keyport for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 59 paid, $3.6M.
Is Keyport at risk from strong wind?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (44%), and Keyport’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Keyport.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Keyport’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.