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 Packanack Lake
Packanack Lake isn’t graded for hazard risk: Packanack Lake is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 26 claims here since 1978.
What Packanack Lake 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 Packanack Lake flood? Sometimes: 26 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Packanack Lake, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene3 claims · $130K
- Hurricane Floyd2 claims · $48K
Packanack Lake isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Passaic County.The storms Packanack Lake remembers
None of the 21 disasters declared for Passaic County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Packanack Lake itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19845 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms and Flooding, declared for Passaic County
- 20115 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, declared for Passaic County
- 19793 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Passaic County has had 21 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 Packanack Lake after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Packanack Lake archive →Packanack Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preakness | — | 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 Packanack Lake 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 Packanack Lake
Does Packanack Lake flood?
Flood insurance has paid 26 claims in Packanack Lake since 1978, $517K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (3).
Is Packanack Lake 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 Passaic County, 48% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Packanack Lake?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Packanack Lake’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 Packanack Lake?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 3 paid, $130K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Packanack Lake.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Packanack Lake’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.