Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0On FEMA’s figures, Lower Alloways Creek Township faces more hazard damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns, mostly from coastal flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Alloways Creek Township gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (69%), then river and rain flooding (21%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1979.
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 Lower Alloways Creek 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
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 Lower Alloways Creek Township’s grade
Coastal flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Lower Alloways Creek Township, and Lower Alloways Creek Township’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 3%, at a rate in the top 4% of U.S. census tracts.
D higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Lower Alloways Creek Township’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.0M a year in losses across Lower Alloways Creek Township: $1.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Lower Alloways Creek Township flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lower Alloways Creek Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $47K
Lower Alloways Creek 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: Salem County.3 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Lower Alloways Creek Township
Disasters that paid out in Lower Alloways Creek Township itself (aid to households or repair grants to Lower Alloways Creek Township), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Hurricane Sandy$18K to Lower Alloways Creek Township for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$22K to Lower Alloways Creek Township for repairs
- 2009Snowstorm$20K to Lower Alloways Creek Township for repairs
Salem County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter 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 Lower Alloways Creek Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lower Alloways Creek Township archive →Lower Alloways Creek Township and its neighbors
Lower Alloways Creek 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stow Creek Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Quinton Township | Bless damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Lower Alloways Creek Township | Dmore damage than 92% | coastal flooding | 4 |
| Elsinboro Township | Dmore damage than 95% | coastal flooding | 32 |
| Greenwich Township | — | 731 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 Lower Alloways Creek 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.
- 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 Lower Alloways Creek Township
Is Lower Alloways Creek Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Lower Alloways Creek Township has higher expected damage per building than 92% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (69%) and river and rain flooding (21%). 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 Lower Alloways Creek Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Lower Alloways Creek Township since 1979, $73K in all, or 5.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (2).
Is Lower Alloways Creek 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 Salem County, 39% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 7.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lower Alloways Creek Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lower Alloways Creek 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 Lower Alloways Creek Township?
By FEMA money that reached Lower Alloways Creek Township, Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (2010): $22K to Lower Alloways Creek Township for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 2 paid, $47K.
Is Lower Alloways Creek Township at risk from coastal flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Lower Alloways Creek Township’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lower Alloways Creek Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lower Alloways Creek 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.