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-SA 4.0Storms, floods and disasters in Sewaren
Sewaren isn’t graded for hazard risk: Sewaren is a Census area inside a town, graded with the town. Flood insurance has paid 67 claims here since 1983.
What Sewaren 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
Coastal flooding
Strong wind
Earthquakes
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 Sewaren flood? Sometimes: 67 flood claims since 1983
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sewaren, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy39 claims · $2.7M
- Hurricane Irene6 claims · $34K
- The December Storm - nor’easter5 claims · $49K
Sewaren 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.The storms Sewaren remembers
None of the 22 disasters declared for Middlesex County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Sewaren itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 201239 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sandy, declared for Middlesex County
- 20117 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Storm, declared for Middlesex County
- 19925 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storm, High Tides, Heavy Rain, and Flooding, declared for Middlesex County
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 Sewaren after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Sewaren archive →Sewaren 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perth Amboy | Aless damage than 91% | river and rain flooding | 37 |
| New York | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 36,272 |
| Woodbridge Township | Bless damage than 60% | river and rain flooding | 597 |
| Port Reading | — | 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 Sewaren 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.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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 Sewaren
Does Sewaren flood?
Flood insurance has paid 67 claims in Sewaren since 1983, $2.8M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (39).
Is Sewaren 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 Sewaren?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sewaren’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 Sewaren?
By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 39 paid, $2.7M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sewaren.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sewaren’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.