Photo: Mitchazenia · CC BY-SA 3.0Storms, floods and disasters in Walpack Township
Walpack Township isn’t graded for hazard risk: Walpack Township has 4 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 1 claim here since 1996.
What Walpack Township 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
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 Walpack Township flood? Rarely: 1 flood claim since 1996
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Walpack Township, from FEMA’s records.
Walpack Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Sussex County.The storms Walpack Township remembers
None of the 20 disasters declared for Sussex County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Walpack Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 19961 flood claims paidThe year of Blizzard of 96 (severe Snow Storm), declared for Sussex County
Sussex County has had 20 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 Walpack Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Walpack Township archive →Walpack Township 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 Smithfield Township | A−less damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 10 |
| Delaware Township | B+less damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
| Lehman Township | Bless damage than 62% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Stillwater Township | B−more damage than 54% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| Sandyston Township | C−more damage than 76% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
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 Walpack Township 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.
- 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 Walpack Township
Does Walpack Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 1 claim in Walpack Township since 1996, $7K in all.
Is Walpack Township 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 Sussex County, 36% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Walpack Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Walpack Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Walpack Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Walpack Township’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.