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 4.0More hazard damage per building is expected in Wanaque than in 88% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wanaque gets a D for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns, #425 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). Flood insurance has paid 41 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 Wanaque 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
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 Wanaque’s grade
River and rain flooding is 95% of the building damage FEMA expects in Wanaque, and Wanaque’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
D #425 of 468 in New Jersey; higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Wanaque’s residents live in 3 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, Wanaque has more expected damage per building than 91% of New Jersey towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $4.8M a year in losses across Wanaque: $4.2M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Wanaque flood? Sometimes: 41 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Wanaque, from FEMA’s records: 9.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Floyd7 claims · $169K
- The Torrential rain6 claims · $77K
- Hurricane Irene5 claims · $103K
Wanaque isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Passaic County.10 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Wanaque
Disasters that paid out in Wanaque itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Wanaque), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2021Remnants of Hurricane Ida22 households applied for aid$20K aid approved2 flood claims paid that year
- 2018Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$50K to the Borough of Wanaque for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy43 households applied for aid$450 aid approved$71K to the Borough of Wanaque for repairs
- 2011Severe Storm$53K to the Borough of Wanaque for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene10 households applied for aid$20K aid approved$43K to the Borough of Wanaque for repairs5 flood claims paid for it, $103K
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$19K to the Borough of Wanaque for repairs
Show all 10
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding$11K to the Borough of Wanaque for repairs
- 2007Severe Storms and Inland and Coastal Flooding3 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$2K to the Borough of Wanaque for repairs3 flood claims paid that year
- 2005Severe Storms and Flooding1 households applied for aid$1K aid approved7 flood claims paid that year
- 1999Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations$15K to the Borough of Wanaque for repairs7 flood claims paid for it, $169K
Passaic County has had 21 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 Wanaque after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Wanaque archive →Wanaque and its neighbors
Wanaque is 2nd of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ringwood | Cmore damage than 74% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Wanaque | Dmore damage than 88% | river and rain flooding | 41 |
| Bloomingdale | Dmore damage than 92% | river and rain flooding | 68 |
| Pompton Lakes | D−more damage than 96% | river and rain flooding | 2,301 |
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 Wanaque 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.
- 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 Wanaque
Is Wanaque at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Wanaque has higher expected damage per building than 88% of U.S. towns: D for hazard risk, #425 of 468 in New Jersey. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (95%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Wanaque flood?
Flood insurance has paid 41 claims in Wanaque since 1979, $508K in all, or 9.2 per 1,000 homes, more than 72% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 8 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Floyd (7).
Is Wanaque 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 Passaic County, 48% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 2.2% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Wanaque?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Wanaque’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 Wanaque?
By FEMA money that reached Wanaque, Hurricane Sandy (2012): 43 households applied for aid, $450 approved, and $71K to the Borough of Wanaque for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Floyd: 7 paid, $169K.
Is Wanaque at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (95%), and Wanaque’s rate for it is in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Wanaque.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Wanaque’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.