Photo: Acroterion · CC BY-SA 4.0Lakehurst’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lakehurst gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns, #140 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%), then strong wind (28%). Flood insurance has paid 1 claim 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 Lakehurst 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
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 Lakehurst’s grade
River and rain flooding is 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lakehurst, and Lakehurst’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 28%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B #140 of 468 in New Jersey; lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lakehurst’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New Jersey town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Lakehurst has less expected damage per building than 70% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $488K a year in losses across Lakehurst: $389K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lakehurst flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lakehurst, from FEMA’s records: 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Lakehurst isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ocean County.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lakehurst
Disasters that paid out in Lakehurst itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Lakehurst), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$12K to the Borough of Lakehurst for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy54 households applied for aid$10K aid approved$50K to the Borough of Lakehurst for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene3 households applied for aid$8K to the Borough of Lakehurst for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$6K to the Borough of Lakehurst for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding20 households applied for aid$16K aid approved
- 2009Snowstorm$11K to the Borough of Lakehurst for repairs
Ocean County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter 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.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Ocean County, 2002–2025.
Old photos of Lakehurst after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lakehurst archive →Lakehurst and its neighbors
Lakehurst has the lowest expected damage per building of the 1 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakehurst | Bless damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 1 |
| Leisure Knoll | — | 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 Lakehurst 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.
- 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 Lakehurst
Is Lakehurst at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lakehurst has lower expected damage per building than 61% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #140 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (50%) and strong wind (28%). 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 Lakehurst flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Lakehurst since 1978, $830 in all, or 0.9 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 80% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Lakehurst 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 Ocean County, 71% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 16.6% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lakehurst?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lakehurst’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 Lakehurst?
By FEMA money that reached Lakehurst, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 54 households applied for aid, $10K approved, and $50K to the Borough of Lakehurst for repairs.
Is Lakehurst at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Lakehurst’s rate for it is lower than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lakehurst.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lakehurst’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.