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 4.0Pine Beach’s building-damage rate from strong wind is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pine Beach gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%), then strong wind (24%). Flood insurance has paid 6 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 Pine Beach 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
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.
What’s behind Pine Beach’s grade
River and rain flooding is 61% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pine Beach, and Pine Beach’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 24%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B− higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Pine Beach’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $526K a year in losses across Pine Beach: $451K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Pine Beach flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1992
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pine Beach, from FEMA’s records: 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy5 claims · $286K
- The December Storm - nor’easter1 claim · $2K
Pine Beach 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.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pine Beach
Disasters that paid out in Pine Beach itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Pine Beach), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$8K to the Borough of Pine Beach for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy86 households applied for aid$265K aid approved$159K to the Borough of Pine Beach for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $286K
- 2011Hurricane Irene3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$4K to the Borough of Pine Beach for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$5K to the Borough of Pine Beach for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$3K to the Borough of Pine Beach for repairs
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 Pine Beach after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pine Beach archive →Pine Beach and its neighbors
Pine Beach has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Beach | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Berkeley Township | Cmore damage than 69% | river and rain flooding | 1,689 |
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 Pine Beach 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.
- 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 Pine Beach
Is Pine Beach at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pine Beach has higher expected damage per building than 54% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (61%) and strong wind (24%). 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 Pine Beach flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Pine Beach since 1992, $289K in all, or 5.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 64% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (5).
Is Pine Beach 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 Pine Beach?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pine Beach’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 Pine Beach?
By FEMA money that reached Pine Beach, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 86 households applied for aid, $265K approved, and $159K to the Borough of Pine Beach for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 5 paid, $286K.
Is Pine Beach at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (61%), and Pine Beach’s rate for it is higher than 50% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pine Beach.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pine Beach’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.