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HARING-BLAUVELT HOUSE, NORTHVALE, BERGEN COUNTY, NJPhoto: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0
A−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Northvale · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Northvale than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Northvale gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #59 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then earthquakes (12%). Flood insurance has paid 42 claims here since 1994.

River and rain flooding 77%Earthquakes 12%Hurricanes 8%

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

less than 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#59 of 468 in New Jersey
Hazard risk
A−#59 of 468
in New Jersey · lower than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
42
paid since 1994 · $2.1M
Flooded more than once
9
properties
Disasters paid out here
9
of 23 declared for Bergen County

What stands out about Northvale’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 80% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Remembers 199916 flood claims were paid for 1999 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Northvale 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

77%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

12%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Hail Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Northvale’s grade

River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Northvale, and Northvale’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts. Next is earthquakes at 12% (higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Northvale sits
Northvale
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A− #59 of 468 in New Jersey; lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Northvale’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding77%Earthquakes12%Hurricanes8%Everything else3%

The typical New Jersey town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Northvale has less expected damage per building than 88% of New Jersey towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.5M a year in losses across Northvale: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Northvale’s 4,761 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Rockleigh borough (407 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Northvale flood? Sometimes: 42 flood claims since 1994

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Northvale, from FEMA’s records: 24.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 16 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 11 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 3 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 9 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199920072021
19942026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Floyd16 claims · $711K
  • The April 2007 nor’easter10 claims · $355K
  • Hurricane Ida8 claims · $255K
42
paid claims since 1994
$2.1M
paid to owners
9
homes flooded more than once
$49K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Northvale 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.
Disasters

9 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Northvale

Disasters that paid out in Northvale itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Northvale), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida52 households applied for aid$162K aid approved$8K to the Borough of Northvale for repairs8 flood claims paid for it, $255K
  2. 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$36K to the Borough of Northvale for repairs
  3. 2012Hurricane Sandy18 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$92K to the Borough of Northvale for repairs
  4. 2011Severe Storm$51K to the Borough of Northvale for repairs
  5. 2011Hurricane Irene19 households applied for aid$53K aid approved$23K to the Borough of Northvale for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $149K
  6. 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$14K to the Borough of Northvale for repairs
Show all 9
  1. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding5 households applied for aid$5K aid approved
  2. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding20 households applied for aid$23K aid approved$11K to the Borough of Northvale for repairs11 flood claims paid that year
  3. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$13K to the Borough of Northvale for repairs16 flood claims paid for it, $711K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NorthvaleBergen County only

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.

Were you here?

Old photos of Northvale after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Northvale archive →
Next door

Northvale and its neighbors

Northvale has the lowest expected damage per building of the 3 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Norwood: hazard risk A−Rockleigh: not gradedOld Tappan: hazard risk B+NorwoodRockleighOld TappanNorthvale
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
NorthvaleA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding42
NorwoodA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding16
Old TappanB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding27
Rockleigh—459 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Northvale faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Northvale

Is Northvale at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Northvale has lower expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #59 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and earthquakes (12%). 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 Northvale flood?

Flood insurance has paid 42 claims in Northvale since 1994, $2.1M in all, or 24.3 per 1,000 homes, more than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 9 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (16).

Is Northvale 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 Northvale?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Northvale’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 Northvale?

By FEMA money that reached Northvale, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 52 households applied for aid, $162K approved, and $8K to the Borough of Northvale for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 16 paid, $711K.

Is Northvale at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Northvale’s rate for it is lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Northvale.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Northvale’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.