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, Lake Como’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Como gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is strong wind (49%), then river and rain flooding (35%). Flood insurance has paid 36 claims here since 1992.
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 Lake Como’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lake Como 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
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 Lake Como’s grade
Strong wind is 49% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lake Como, and Lake Como’s rate of strong wind damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 35% (lower than 92% of U.S. census tracts).
B lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lake Como’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $402K a year in losses across Lake Como: $326K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lake Como flood? Sometimes: 36 flood claims since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lake Como, from FEMA’s records: 31.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy27 claims · $2.4M
- The Torrential rain4 claims · $11K
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $3K
Lake Como 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lake Como
Disasters that paid out in Lake Como itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Lake Como), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$7K to the Borough of Lake Como for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2012Hurricane Sandy141 households applied for aid$447K aid approved$399K to the Borough of Lake Como for repairs27 flood claims paid for it, $2.4M
- 2011Hurricane Irene7 households applied for aid$573 aid approved$6K to the Borough of Lake Como for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $3K
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$6K to the Borough of Lake Como for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$47K to the Borough of Lake Como 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 Lake Como after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lake Como archive →Lake Como and its neighbors
Lake Como has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Como | Bless damage than 60% | strong wind | 36 |
| Spring Lake | Bless damage than 58% | strong wind | 431 |
| Belmar | Bless damage than 55% | strong wind | 431 |
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 Lake Como 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.
- 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 Lake Como
Is Lake Como at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lake Como has lower expected damage per building than 60% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is strong wind (49%) and river and rain flooding (35%). 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 Lake Como flood?
Flood insurance has paid 36 claims in Lake Como since 1992, $2.4M in all, or 31.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 89% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 3 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (27).
Is Lake Como 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 Lake Como?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lake Como’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 Lake Como?
By FEMA money that reached Lake Como, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 141 households applied for aid, $447K approved, and $399K to the Borough of Lake Como for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 27 paid, $2.4M.
Is Lake Como at risk from strong wind?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (49%), and Lake Como’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake Como.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lake Como’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.