Photo: Smallbones · Public domainFEMA puts Woodbine’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 73% of U.S. towns, led by hurricanes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodbine gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (37%), then river and rain flooding (34%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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 Woodbine faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain 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.
What’s behind Woodbine’s grade
Hurricanes are 37% of the building damage FEMA expects in Woodbine, and Woodbine’s rate of hurricanes damage is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts. Strong wind adds 19%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.
B+ lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Woodbine’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $925K a year in losses across Woodbine: $692K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Woodbine flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Woodbine. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Woodbine isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Cape May County.7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Woodbine
Disasters that paid out in Woodbine itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Borough of Woodbine), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Tropical Storm Isaias$76K to the Borough of Woodbine for repairs
- 2016Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$3K to the Borough of Woodbine for repairs
- 2012Hurricane Sandy45 households applied for aid$80K aid approved$3K to the Borough of Woodbine for repairs
- 2011Hurricane Irene47 households applied for aid$44K aid approved$21K to the Borough of Woodbine for repairs
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$6K to the Borough of Woodbine for repairs
- 2010Severe Storms and Flooding153 households applied for aid$251K aid approved$4K to the Borough of Woodbine for repairs
Show all 7
- 2010Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm$2K to the Borough of Woodbine for repairs
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 Woodbine after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Woodbine archive →Woodbine and its neighbors
Woodbine has the lowest expected damage per building of the 2 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodbine | B+less damage than 73% | hurricanes | 0 |
| Dennis Township | C+more damage than 57% | river and rain flooding | 16 |
| Dennisville | — | 736 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
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 Woodbine faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Woodbine
Is Woodbine at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Woodbine has lower expected damage per building than 73% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (37%) and river and rain flooding (34%). 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.
Is Woodbine 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 Woodbine?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Woodbine’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 Woodbine?
By FEMA money that reached Woodbine, Severe Storms and Flooding (2010): 153 households applied for aid, $251K approved, and $4K to the Borough of Woodbine for repairs.
Is Woodbine at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (37%), and Woodbine’s rate for it is higher than 87% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Woodbine.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Woodbine’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.