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Hixson–Mixsell House, Pohatcong Township, NJ - east viewPhoto: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Pohatcong Township · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Pohatcong Township than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pohatcong Township gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns, #361 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%). Flood insurance has paid 147 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 86%Hurricanes 5%Strong wind 4%

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

more than 77%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#361 of 468 in New Jersey
Hazard risk
C−#361 of 468
in New Jersey · higher than 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
86% of expected building damage
Flood claims
147
paid since 1979 · $4.0M
Flooded more than once
42
properties · 12 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
10
of 19 declared for Warren County

What stands out about Pohatcong Township’s natural hazards

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

147 paid flood claims since 1979$4.0M in all; 42 properties flooded more than once. More per home than 96% of U.S. towns.Moved out of harm’s way2 flood-prone properties bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.Remembers 200539 flood claims were paid for 2005 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Pohatcong Township 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

86%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

5%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 16 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Strong wind Earthquakes Tornadoes Ice storms Winter storms Lightning Hail Wildfire Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 10% of Pohatcong Township’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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 Pohatcong Township’s grade

River and rain flooding is 86% of the building damage FEMA expects in Pohatcong Township, and Pohatcong Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 4%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Pohatcong Township sits
Pohatcong Township
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #361 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

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

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding86%Hurricanes5%Strong wind4%Everything else5%

The typical New Jersey town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Pohatcong Township has more expected damage per building than 77% of New Jersey towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.4M a year in losses across Pohatcong Township: $1.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Pohatcong Township’s 3,241 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Upper Pohatcong CDP (1,714 residents) and Finesville CDP (364 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 township’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 Pohatcong Township flood? Yes: 147 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pohatcong Township, from FEMA’s records: 95.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 2 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 0 claims1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 13 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 2 claims2004: 26 claims2005: 39 claims2006: 36 claims2007: 1 claim2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 18 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 1 claim2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 5 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 1 claim2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200420052006
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene13 claims · $284K
  • Hurricane Ida4 claims · $46K
  • The Torrential rain3 claims · $66K
147
paid claims since 1979
$4.0M
paid to owners
42
homes flooded more than once
$27K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (12)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Pohatcong Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Warren County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
2flood-prone properties bought out and cleared
Disasters

10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Pohatcong Township

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

  1. 2023Severe Storm and Flooding$81K to Pohatcong Township for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  2. 2021Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$38K to Pohatcong Township for repairs5 flood claims paid that year
  3. 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$35K to Pohatcong Township for repairs
  4. 2012Hurricane Sandy$100K to Pohatcong Township for repairs
  5. 2011Severe Storm$8K to Pohatcong Township for repairs
  6. 2011Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee$37K to Pohatcong Township for repairs
Show all 10
  1. 2011Hurricane Irene2 households applied for aid$1K aid approved$68K to Pohatcong Township for repairs13 flood claims paid for it, $284K
  2. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$356K to Pohatcong Township for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$18K to Pohatcong Township for repairs36 flood claims paid that year
  4. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$648K to Pohatcong Township for repairs26 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Pohatcong TownshipWarren County only

Warren County has had 19 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 Pohatcong Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Pohatcong Township archive →
Next door

Pohatcong Township and its neighbors

Pohatcong Township is 4th of the 6 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Holland Township: hazard risk CFinesville: not gradedWilliams Township: hazard risk B−Phillipsburg: hazard risk DRaubsville: not gradedRiegelsville: not gradedGreenwich Township: hazard risk CBloomsbury: not gradedUpper Pohatcong: not gradedLopatcong Township: hazard risk C−Holland TownshipFinesvilleWilliams TownshipPhillipsburgRaubsvilleRiegelsvilleGreenwich TownshipBloomsburyUpper PohatcongLopatcong TownshipPohatcong Township
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Williams TownshipB−more damage than 52%river and rain flooding121
Holland TownshipCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding42
Greenwich TownshipCmore damage than 71%river and rain flooding25
Pohatcong TownshipC−more damage than 77%river and rain flooding147
Lopatcong TownshipC−more damage than 81%river and rain flooding12
PhillipsburgDmore damage than 90%river and rain flooding59
Finesville—301 residents; we grade 1,000+
Raubsville—a Census area inside a town; graded with the town
Riegelsville—860 residents; we grade 1,000+
Bloomsbury—841 residents; we grade 1,000+
Upper Pohatcong—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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Pohatcong Township 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 ↗
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 Pohatcong Township

Is Pohatcong Township at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Pohatcong Township has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #361 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (86%) and hurricanes (5%). 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 Pohatcong Township flood?

Flood insurance has paid 147 claims in Pohatcong Township since 1979, $4.0M in all, or 95.6 per 1,000 homes, more than 96% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 42 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (13).

Is Pohatcong Township 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 Warren County, 47% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Pohatcong Township?

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

By FEMA money that reached Pohatcong Township, Severe Storms and Flooding (2004): $648K to Pohatcong Township for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 13 paid, $284K.

Is Pohatcong Township at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (86%), and Pohatcong Township’s rate for it is higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pohatcong Township.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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