Photo: Apuch · CC BY-SA 2.0Storms, floods and disasters in Stone Harbor
Stone Harbor isn’t graded for hazard risk: Stone Harbor has 893 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1,203 claims here since 1979.
What Stone Harbor 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
Hurricanes
Strong wind
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 Stone Harbor flood? Yes: 1,203 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Stone Harbor, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy385 claims · $12.9M
- The December Storm - nor’easter99 claims · $1.2M
- The Winter Storm Jonas87 claims · $1.6M
Stone Harbor is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Cape May County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Stone Harbor
Disasters that paid out in Stone Harbor itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Stone Harbor), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2012Hurricane Sandy125 households applied for aid$44K aid approved385 flood claims paid for it, $12.9M
Cape May County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter 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 Stone Harbor after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Stone Harbor archive →Stone Harbor 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Township | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 738 |
| North Wildwood | Dmore damage than 95% | coastal flooding | 3,043 |
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 Stone Harbor 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.
- 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.
- Trim dead limbs over the house and driveway.
- Tie down trash cans and outdoor furniture.
- Stay clear of downed lines and call the utility.
- 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.
- Stone Harbor residents get 25% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Stone Harbor
Does Stone Harbor flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1,203 claims in Stone Harbor since 1979, $21.8M in all. 143 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (385).
Is Stone Harbor 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 Cape May County, 74% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 40.1% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Stone Harbor?
Stone Harbor is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 5), which takes 25% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Stone Harbor?
By FEMA money that reached Stone Harbor, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 125 households applied for aid, $44K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 385 paid, $12.9M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Stone Harbor.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Stone Harbor’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.