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 4.0Neptune City’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Neptune City gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns, #169 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is strong wind (46%), then river and rain flooding (34%). Flood insurance has paid 42 claims here since 1992.
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 Neptune City faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Strong wind
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
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 Neptune City’s grade
Strong wind is 46% of the building damage FEMA expects in Neptune City, and Neptune City’s rate of strong wind damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 1%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
B #169 of 468 in New Jersey; lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Neptune City’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, Neptune City has less expected damage per building than 64% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Neptune City: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Neptune City flood? Sometimes: 42 flood claims since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Neptune City, from FEMA’s records: 18.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy18 claims · $2.0M
- The December Storm - nor’easter5 claims · $59K
- Hurricane Irene4 claims · $158K
Neptune City isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Monmouth County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Neptune City
Disasters that paid out in Neptune City itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Neptune City), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$24K to the Borough of Neptune City for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy181 households applied for aid$276K aid approved$273K to the Borough of Neptune City for repairs18 flood claims paid for it, $2.0M
- 2011Hurricane Irene15 households applied for aid$12K aid approved$24K to the Borough of Neptune City for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $158K
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$25K to the Borough of Neptune City for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding3 households applied for aid$1K aid approved
Monmouth County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical 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.
Old photos of Neptune City after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Neptune City archive →Neptune City and its neighbors
Neptune City has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neptune City | Bless damage than 56% | strong wind | 42 |
| Neptune Township | B−more damage than 52% | strong wind | 364 |
| Avon-by-the-Sea | B−more damage than 52% | strong wind | 255 |
| Shark River Hills | — | 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 Neptune City faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Neptune City
Is Neptune City at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Neptune City has lower expected damage per building than 56% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #169 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is strong wind (46%) and river and rain flooding (34%). 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 Neptune City flood?
Flood insurance has paid 42 claims in Neptune City since 1992, $2.6M in all, or 18.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 5 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (18).
Is Neptune City 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 Monmouth County, 70% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 7.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Neptune City?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Neptune City’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 Neptune City?
By FEMA money that reached Neptune City, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 181 households applied for aid, $276K approved, and $273K to the Borough of Neptune City for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 18 paid, $2.0M.
Is Neptune City at risk from strong wind?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (46%), and Neptune City’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Neptune City.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Neptune City’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.