Photo: Storylanding · CC BY-SA 3.0

–Not graded

Natural hazards in Bloomfield · FEMA

Storms, floods and disasters in Bloomfield

Bloomfield isn’t graded for hazard risk: Bloomfield has 234 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1981.

Flood claims

paid since 1981 · $11K

Disasters paid out here

of 26 declared for Essex County

By hazard

What Bloomfield 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

92%of expected building damage

Well above average · higher than 86% of U.S. census tracts

Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Smaller shares here

Hurricanes Earthquakes Winter storms Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Tornadoes Wildfire Landslides Hail Cold waves Heat waves

FEMA models no building damage here

Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 9% of Bloomfield’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Bloomfield flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1981

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bloomfield, from FEMA’s records.

Paid flood claims, by year

1981

19812026

paid claims since 1981

$11K

paid to owners

homes flooded more than once

$3K

average claim

of all homes are insured

No community discount

Bloomfield isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Essex County.

Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Bloomfield

Disasters that paid out in Bloomfield itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Bloomfield), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

2024Severe Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides1 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
2011Severe Storms and Flooding2 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
2008Severe Storms and Flooding$35K to the Town of Bloomfield for repairs
2007Severe Storms and Flooding$6K to the Town of Bloomfield for repairs

Disasters declared, by decade

Paid out in BloomfieldEssex County only

Essex County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

Old photos of Bloomfield after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bloomfield archive →

Next door

Bloomfield and its neighbors

How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.

ColumbiaStratfordLemingtonBrunswickBloomfield

Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth

Town	Hazard risk	Mostly (buildings)
Columbia	—	683 residents; we grade 1,000+
Stratford	—	950 residents; we grade 1,000+
Lemington	—	108 residents; we grade 1,000+
Brunswick	—	109 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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Bloomfield faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises

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.

Questions about natural hazards in Bloomfield

Does Bloomfield flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Bloomfield since 1981, $11K in all.

Is Bloomfield 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 Essex County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Bloomfield?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bloomfield’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 Bloomfield?

By FEMA money that reached Bloomfield, Severe Storms and Flooding (2008): $35K to the Town of Bloomfield for repairs.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bloomfield.

Town Square →

Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bloomfield’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.

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