Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Lyons
Lyons isn’t graded for hazard risk: Lyons is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 37 claims here since 1996.
What Lyons 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
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 Lyons flood? Sometimes: 37 flood claims since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Lyons, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Ida15 claims · $881K
- Hurricane Floyd9 claims · $156K
- Hurricane Irene6 claims · $141K
Lyons isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Somerset County.The storms Lyons remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Somerset County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Lyons itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 202115 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared for Somerset County
- 199910 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations, declared for Somerset County
- 20116 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, declared for Somerset County
Somerset County has had 22 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 Lyons after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Lyons archive →Lyons and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernards Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 69 |
| Long Hill Township | C−more damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 150 |
| Millington | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Liberty Corner | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Basking Ridge | — | 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 Lyons 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.
- 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 Lyons
Does Lyons flood?
Flood insurance has paid 37 claims in Lyons since 1996, $1.3M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (15).
Is Lyons 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 Somerset County, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Lyons?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Lyons’ 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 Lyons?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 15 paid, $881K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Lyons.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Lyons’ 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.