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 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Mystic Island
Mystic Island isn’t graded for hazard risk: Mystic Island is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 3,447 claims here since 1980.
What Mystic Island 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
Hurricanes
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 Mystic Island flood? Yes: 3,447 flood claims since 1980
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Mystic Island, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy2,224 claims · $169M
- The December Storm - nor’easter725 claims · $13.7M
- Hurricane Gloria33 claims · $108K
Mystic Island isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Ocean County.The storms Mystic Island remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Ocean County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Mystic Island itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20122,235 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sandy, declared for Ocean County
- 1992743 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storm, High Tides, Heavy Rain, and Flooding, declared for Ocean County
- 1984107 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms and Flooding, declared for Ocean County
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 Mystic Island after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Mystic Island archive →Mystic Island 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bass River Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 55 |
| Little Egg Harbor Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 3,837 |
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 Mystic Island 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.
- 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.
- 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 Mystic Island
Does Mystic Island flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3,447 claims in Mystic Island since 1980, $186M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (2,224).
Is Mystic Island 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 Mystic Island?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Mystic Island’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 Mystic Island?
By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 2,224 paid, $169M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Mystic Island.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Mystic Island’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.