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, Lawrence Township faces more hazard damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, led by coastal flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lawrence Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns, #358 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (41%), then river and rain flooding (31%). Flood insurance has paid 211 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 Lawrence Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Lawrence Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Coastal flooding
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Wildfire
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 Lawrence Township’s grade
Coastal flooding is 41% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lawrence Township, and Lawrence Township’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 7%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #358 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lawrence Township’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, Lawrence Township has more expected damage per building than 76% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.7M a year in losses across Lawrence Township: $1.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lawrence Township flood? Yes: 211 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lawrence Township, from FEMA’s records: 165.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene45 claims · $4.6M
- Hurricane Ida29 claims · $3.8M
- Hurricane Floyd17 claims · $696K
Lawrence Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cumberland County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lawrence Township
Disasters that paid out in Lawrence Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Lawrence Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$162K to Lawrence Township for repairs15 flood claims paid for it, $1.1M
- 2011Hurricane Irene$2K to Lawrence Township for repairs45 flood claims paid for it, $4.6M
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$6K to Lawrence Township for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$13K to Lawrence Township for repairs
- 2009Snowstorm$10K to Lawrence Township for repairs4 flood claims paid that year
Cumberland County has had 23 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then winter 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 Lawrence Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lawrence Township archive →Lawrence Township and its neighbors
Lawrence Township is 3rd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millville | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 29 |
| Fairfield Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 1,845 |
| Lawrence Township | C−more damage than 76% | coastal flooding | 211 |
| Downe Township | D−among the highest damage | coastal flooding | 428 |
| Newport | — | 533 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Money Island | — | 25 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Cedarville | — | 661 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Lawrence Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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 Lawrence Township
Is Lawrence Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lawrence Township has higher expected damage per building than 76% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #358 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (41%) and river and rain flooding (31%). 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 Lawrence Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 211 claims in Lawrence Township since 1978, $12.0M in all, or 165.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 17 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (45).
Is Lawrence Township 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 Cumberland County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.9% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lawrence Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lawrence Township’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 Lawrence Township?
By FEMA money that reached Lawrence Township, Hurricane Sandy (2012): $162K to Lawrence Township for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 45 paid, $4.6M.
Is Lawrence Township at risk from coastal flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (41%), and Lawrence Township’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lawrence Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lawrence Township’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.