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 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Lavallette faces more hazard damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lavallette gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%), then coastal flooding (15%). Flood insurance has paid 1,840 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 Lavallette’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lavallette 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
Coastal 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.
What’s behind Lavallette’s grade
River and rain flooding is 67% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lavallette, and Lavallette’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 15%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lavallette’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Lavallette: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lavallette flood? Yes: 1,840 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lavallette, from FEMA’s records: 628.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy1,602 claims · $131M
- The December Storm - nor’easter98 claims · $725K
- Hurricane Irene44 claims · $783K
Lavallette is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Ocean County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lavallette
Disasters that paid out in Lavallette itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Lavallette), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$12K to the Borough of Lavallette for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$33K to the Borough of Lavallette for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy4,239 households applied for aid$16.6M aid approved$7.4M to the Borough of Lavallette for repairs1,602 flood claims paid for it, $131M
- 2011Hurricane Irene108 households applied for aid$150K aid approved$47K to the Borough of Lavallette for repairs44 flood claims paid for it, $783K
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$47K to the Borough of Lavallette for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding4 households applied for aid$905 aid approved
Show all 8
- 2009Snowstorm$40K to the Borough of Lavallette for repairs
- 2009Severe Storms and Flooding Associated with Tropical Depression Ida and a Nor'eas$55K to the Borough of Lavallette 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 Lavallette after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lavallette archive →Lavallette and its neighbors
Lavallette is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toms River Township | Cmore damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 8,425 |
| Lavallette | Dmore damage than 90% | river and rain flooding | 1,840 |
| Dover Beaches South | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Dover Beaches North | — | 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 Lavallette 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- 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.
- Lavallette residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Lavallette
Is Lavallette at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lavallette has higher expected damage per building than 90% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (67%) and coastal flooding (15%). 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 Lavallette flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,840 claims in Lavallette since 1978, $133M in all, or 628.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 100% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 49 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (1,602).
Is Lavallette 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 Lavallette?
Lavallette is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Lavallette?
By FEMA money that reached Lavallette, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 4,239 households applied for aid, $16.6M approved, and $7.4M to the Borough of Lavallette for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 1,602 paid, $131M.
Is Lavallette at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (67%), and Lavallette’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lavallette.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lavallette’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.