Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Peapack and Gladstone than in 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Peapack and Gladstone gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #376 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1984.
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 Peapack and Gladstone 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.
What’s behind Peapack and Gladstone’s grade
River and rain flooding is 91% of the building damage FEMA expects in Peapack and Gladstone, and Peapack and Gladstone’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #376 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Peapack and Gladstone’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, Peapack and Gladstone has more expected damage per building than 80% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.8M a year in losses across Peapack and Gladstone: $1.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Peapack and Gladstone flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1984
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Peapack and Gladstone, from FEMA’s records: 12.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Ida4 claims · $192K
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $123K
- Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $5K
Peapack and Gladstone isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Somerset County.The storms Peapack and Gladstone remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Somerset County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Peapack and Gladstone itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20214 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared for Somerset County
- 20112 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, declared for Somerset County
- 20132 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Somerset County has had 22 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 Peapack and Gladstone after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Peapack and Gladstone archive →Peapack and Gladstone and its neighbors
Peapack and Gladstone is 3rd of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernardsville | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | 23 |
| Bedminster Township | C+more damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Peapack and Gladstone | C−more damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Far Hills | — | 948 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 Peapack and Gladstone 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 Peapack and Gladstone
Is Peapack and Gladstone at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Peapack and Gladstone has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #376 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (91%). 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 Peapack and Gladstone flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Peapack and Gladstone since 1984, $434K in all, or 12.0 per 1,000 homes, more than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Ida (4).
Is Peapack and Gladstone 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 Somerset County, 53% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Peapack and Gladstone?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Peapack and Gladstone’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 Peapack and Gladstone?
By flood claims, Hurricane Ida: 4 paid, $192K.
Is Peapack and Gladstone at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (91%), and Peapack and Gladstone’s rate for it is higher than 89% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Peapack and Gladstone.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Peapack and Gladstone’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.