Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Rocky Hill
Rocky Hill isn’t graded for hazard risk: Rocky Hill has 819 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1999.
What Rocky Hill 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 Rocky Hill flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1999
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Rocky Hill, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Irene4 claims · $155K
- Hurricane Ida3 claims · $84K
- The April 2007 nor’easter2 claims · $145K
Rocky Hill 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.6 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Rocky Hill
Disasters that paid out in Rocky Hill itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Rocky Hill), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida14 households applied for aid$77K aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $84K
- 2012Hurricane Sandy7 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$20K to the Borough of Rocky Hill for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene13 households applied for aid$11K aid approved$22K to the Borough of Rocky Hill for repairs4 flood claims paid for it, $155K
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$5K to the Borough of Rocky Hill for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding6 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$12K to the Borough of Rocky Hill for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding2 households applied for aid$1K aid approved2 flood claims paid 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 Rocky Hill after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Rocky Hill archive →Rocky Hill 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Township | B−more damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 188 |
| Montgomery Township | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 115 |
| East Rocky Hill | — | 235 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Kingston | — | 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.
Get ready for what Rocky Hill 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 Rocky Hill
Does Rocky Hill flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Rocky Hill since 1999, $468K in all. 2 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (4).
Is Rocky Hill 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 Rocky Hill?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Rocky Hill’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 Rocky Hill?
By FEMA money that reached Rocky Hill, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (2021): 14 households applied for aid, $77K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 4 paid, $155K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Rocky Hill.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Rocky Hill’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.