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HARING-CORNING HOUSE, ROCKLEIGH, BERGEN COUNTY, NJPhoto: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
Natural hazards in Rockleigh · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Rockleigh

Rockleigh isn’t graded for hazard risk: Rockleigh has 459 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1999.

Flood claims
2
paid since 1999 · $192K
Disasters paid out here
5
of 23 declared for Bergen County
By hazard

What Rockleigh 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

77%of expected building damage
Below average · lower than 63% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

12%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 74% of U.S. census tracts

Hurricanes

8%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 7 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Strong wind Winter storms Hail Wildfire Ice storms Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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.
Flood insurance claims

Does Rockleigh flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1999

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rockleigh, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year
1999: 1 claim2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 1 claim2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims19992010
19992026
Biggest named events
  • The March 2010 nor’easter1 claim · $7K
  • Hurricane Floyd1 claim · $185K
2
paid claims since 1999
$192K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$96K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Bergen County.
Disasters

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rockleigh

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

  1. 2012Hurricane Sandy1 households applied for aid$8K to the Borough of Rockleigh for repairs
  2. 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$2K to the Borough of Rockleigh for repairs
  3. 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$9K to the Borough of Rockleigh for repairs
  4. 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding$29K to the Borough of Rockleigh for repairs
  5. 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$29K to the Borough of Rockleigh for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $185K
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in RockleighBergen County only

Bergen County has had 23 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 Rockleigh after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Rockleigh archive →
Next door

Rockleigh and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Northvale: hazard risk A−Norwood: hazard risk A−Alpine: hazard risk A+NorthvaleNorwoodAlpineRockleigh
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
AlpineA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding—
NorthvaleA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding42
NorwoodA−less damage than 80%river and rain flooding16

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 Rockleigh 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 ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
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 Rockleigh

Does Rockleigh flood?

Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Rockleigh since 1999, $192K in all. The most claims came from March 2010 Nor'easter (1).

Is Rockleigh 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 Bergen County, 41% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Rockleigh?

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

By FEMA money that reached Rockleigh, Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding (2007): $29K to the Borough of Rockleigh for repairs. By flood claims, March 2010 Nor'easter: 1 paid, $7K.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rockleigh.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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