Storms, floods and disasters in Lake Mohawk
Lake Mohawk isn’t graded for hazard risk: Lake Mohawk is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 2000.
What Lake Mohawk 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
Strong wind
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.
Does Lake Mohawk flood? Rarely: 3 flood claims since 2000
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lake Mohawk, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene1 claim · $10K
Lake Mohawk isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sussex County.The storms Lake Mohawk remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Sussex County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lake Mohawk itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, declared for Sussex County
- 20001 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storms, Flooding and Mudslides, declared for Sussex County
Sussex County has had 20 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.
Old photos of Lake Mohawk after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lake Mohawk archive →Get ready for what Lake Mohawk faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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 Mohawk
Does Lake Mohawk flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3 claims in Lake Mohawk since 2000, $29K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).
Is Lake Mohawk 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 Sussex County, 36% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lake Mohawk?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lake Mohawk’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 Mohawk?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $10K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lake Mohawk.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lake Mohawk’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.