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, few U.S. towns expect more hazard damage per building than Moonachie, mostly from coastal flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Moonachie gets a D− for hazard risk: among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is coastal flooding (86%), then river and rain flooding (11%). Flood insurance has paid 234 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 stands out about Moonachie’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Moonachie 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 Moonachie’s grade
Coastal flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Moonachie, and Moonachie’s rate of coastal flooding damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Next is river and rain flooding at 11% (higher than 63% of U.S. census tracts).
D− #468 of 468 in New Jersey; among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Moonachie’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, Moonachie has more expected damage per building than 100% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $16.6M a year in losses across Moonachie: $16.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Moonachie flood? Yes: 234 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Moonachie, from FEMA’s records: 208.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy171 claims · $10.9M
- Hurricane Irene13 claims · $1.5M
- Hurricane Ida12 claims · $557K
Moonachie isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Bergen County.11 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Moonachie
Disasters that paid out in Moonachie itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Moonachie), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida42 households applied for aid$100K aid approved$68K to the Borough of Moonachie for repairs12 flood claims paid for it, $557K
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$41K to the Borough of Moonachie for repairs
- 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$14K to the Borough of Moonachie for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$15K to the Borough of Moonachie for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy982 households applied for aid$6.3M aid approved$5.7M to the Borough of Moonachie for repairs171 flood claims paid for it, $10.9M
- 2011Severe Storm$9K to the Borough of Moonachie for repairs
Show all 11
- 2011Hurricane Irene47 households applied for aid$89K aid approved$13K to the Borough of Moonachie for repairs13 flood claims paid for it, $1.5M
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$20K to the Borough of Moonachie for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$11K to the Borough of Moonachie for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding11 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$31K to the Borough of Moonachie for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$10K to the Borough of Moonachie for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $425K
Bergen County has had 23 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 Moonachie after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Moonachie archive →Moonachie and its neighbors
Moonachie is 6th of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hasbrouck Heights | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 27 |
| Wood-Ridge | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 42 |
| South Hackensack Township | Dmore damage than 86% | coastal flooding | 45 |
| Carlstadt | D−more damage than 97% | coastal flooding | 74 |
| Little Ferry | D−more damage than 97% | coastal flooding | 1,192 |
| Moonachie | D−among the highest damage | coastal flooding | 234 |
| Teterboro | — | 136 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 Moonachie 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 Moonachie
Is Moonachie at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Moonachie has among the highest expected damage per building of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is coastal flooding (86%) and river and rain flooding (11%). 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 Moonachie flood?
Flood insurance has paid 234 claims in Moonachie since 1979, $18.1M in all, or 208.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 98% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 12 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (171).
Is Moonachie 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 Bergen County, 41% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Moonachie?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Moonachie’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 Moonachie?
By FEMA money that reached Moonachie, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 982 households applied for aid, $6.3M approved, and $5.7M to the Borough of Moonachie for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 171 paid, $10.9M.
Is Moonachie at risk from coastal flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Moonachie’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Moonachie.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Moonachie’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.