Allen House · Photo: ClassicLady · CC BY-SA 3.0For strong wind, Shrewsbury’s building-damage rate is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shrewsbury gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns, #287 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%), then strong wind (36%). Flood insurance has paid 6 claims here since 1985.
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 Shrewsbury 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
Strong wind
Hurricanes
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.
What’s behind Shrewsbury’s grade
River and rain flooding is 48% of the building damage FEMA expects in Shrewsbury, and Shrewsbury’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 36%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #287 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Shrewsbury’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
The typical New Jersey town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Shrewsbury has more expected damage per building than 61% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.2M a year in losses across Shrewsbury: $1.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Shrewsbury flood? Rarely: 6 flood claims since 1985
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Shrewsbury, from FEMA’s records: 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Sandy4 claims · $111K
- Hurricane Gloria1 claim · $2K
Shrewsbury isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Monmouth County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Shrewsbury
Disasters that paid out in Shrewsbury itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Shrewsbury), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$138K to the Borough of Shrewsbury for repairs
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$28K to the Borough of Shrewsbury for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy92 households applied for aid$38K aid approved4 flood claims paid for it, $111K
- 2011Hurricane Irene10 households applied for aid$18K aid approved
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding10 households applied for aid$8K aid approved$23K to the Borough of Shrewsbury for repairs
Monmouth County has had 20 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe 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 Shrewsbury after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Shrewsbury archive →Shrewsbury and its neighbors
Shrewsbury is 3rd of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tinton Falls | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Red Bank | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Shrewsbury | C+more damage than 64% | river and rain flooding | 6 |
| Eatontown | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Little Silver | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 345 |
| Oceanport | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 871 |
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 Shrewsbury 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.
- 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.
- 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 Shrewsbury
Is Shrewsbury at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Shrewsbury has higher expected damage per building than 64% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #287 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (48%) and strong wind (36%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Shrewsbury flood?
Flood insurance has paid 6 claims in Shrewsbury since 1985, $117K in all, or 3.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 54% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (4).
Is Shrewsbury 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 Monmouth County, 70% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 7.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Shrewsbury?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Shrewsbury’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 Shrewsbury?
By FEMA money that reached Shrewsbury, Tropical Storm Isaias (2020): $138K to the Borough of Shrewsbury for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 4 paid, $111K.
Is Shrewsbury at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (48%), and Shrewsbury’s rate for it is lower than 57% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Shrewsbury.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Shrewsbury’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.