Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Pompton Plains
Pompton Plains isn’t graded for hazard risk: Pompton Plains is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 2,102 claims here since 1978.
What Pompton Plains 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 Pompton Plains flood? Yes: 2,102 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Pompton Plains, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene631 claims · $38.6M
- The March 2010 nor’easter322 claims · $10.3M
- The Late winter storms208 claims · $4.4M
Pompton Plains isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Morris County.The storms Pompton Plains remembers
None of the 25 disasters declared for Morris County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Pompton Plains itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 2011859 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, declared for Morris County
- 2010323 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm, declared for Morris County
- 1984314 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storms and Flooding, declared for Morris County
Morris County has had 25 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 Pompton Plains after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Pompton Plains archive →Pompton Plains 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinnelon | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Wayne Township | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 5,568 |
| Pequannock Township | C−more damage than 85% | river and rain flooding | 2,037 |
| Riverdale | Dmore damage than 89% | river and rain flooding | 102 |
| Lincoln Park | Dmore damage than 93% | river and rain flooding | 2,935 |
| Pompton Lakes | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 2,301 |
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 Pompton Plains 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 Pompton Plains
Does Pompton Plains flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2,102 claims in Pompton Plains since 1978, $67.2M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (631).
Is Pompton Plains 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 Morris County, 1.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Pompton Plains?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Pompton Plains’ 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 Pompton Plains?
By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 631 paid, $38.6M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Pompton Plains.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Pompton Plains’ 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.