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 3.0On FEMA’s figures, Sayreville faces about as much hazard damage per building as the typical U.S. town, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sayreville gets a B for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns, #157 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%). Flood insurance has paid 324 claims here since 1979.
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 stands out about Sayreville’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Sayreville 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
Earthquakes
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 Sayreville’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sayreville, and Sayreville’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 7%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
B #157 of 468 in New Jersey; lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Sayreville’s residents live in 11 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical New Jersey town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Sayreville has less expected damage per building than 67% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $12.0M a year in losses across Sayreville: $9.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Sayreville flood? Yes: 324 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sayreville, from FEMA’s records: 18.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy175 claims · $15.8M
- Hurricane Irene62 claims · $1.7M
- The March 2010 nor’easter42 claims · $911K
Sayreville isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Middlesex County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sayreville
Disasters that paid out in Sayreville itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Sayreville), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida97 households applied for aid$93K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$170K to the Borough of Sayreville for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy1,764 households applied for aid$7.1M aid approved$4.3M to the Borough of Sayreville for repairs175 flood claims paid for it, $15.8M
- 2011Hurricane Irene145 households applied for aid$286K aid approved$166K to the Borough of Sayreville for repairs62 flood claims paid for it, $1.7M
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$77K to the Borough of Sayreville for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding65 households applied for aid$158K aid approved$42K to the Borough of Sayreville for repairs
Show all 8
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding5 households applied for aid$676 aid approved$36K to the Borough of Sayreville for repairs7 flood claims paid that year
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$24K to the Borough of Sayreville for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $696
Middlesex 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 Sayreville after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sayreville archive →Sayreville and its neighbors
Sayreville is 4th of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perth Amboy | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| South Amboy | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| Woodbridge Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 597 |
| Sayreville | Bless damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 324 |
| Old Bridge Township | Bless damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 98 |
| South River | B−less damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 371 |
| Edison Township | B−more damage than 51% | river and rain flooding | 154 |
| East Brunswick Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 101 |
| Laurence Harbor | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Keasbey | — | a Census area inside a town; graded with the town | |
| Madison Park | — | 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 Sayreville 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.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Sayreville
Is Sayreville at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sayreville has lower expected damage per building than 59% of U.S. towns: B for hazard risk, #157 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and earthquakes (8%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Sayreville flood?
Flood insurance has paid 324 claims in Sayreville since 1979, $18.8M in all, or 18.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 83% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 54 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (175).
Is Sayreville 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 Middlesex County, 54% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Sayreville?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sayreville’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 Sayreville?
By FEMA money that reached Sayreville, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 1,764 households applied for aid, $7.1M approved, and $4.3M to the Borough of Sayreville for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 175 paid, $15.8M.
Is Sayreville at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and Sayreville’s rate for it is higher than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sayreville.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sayreville’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.