756 flood insurance claims·$12.4M paid·8 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Cumberland County, New Jersey. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Cumberland County experiences a diverse flood risk profile driven equally by inland flooding and tidal forces, led by 31 general floods and 31 flash flood events over the last 30 years alongside 28 coastal flood events, 11 storm surge or tide events, and 5 tropical storms. Recent hazards illustrate this mix, including a stationary front that sparked flash flooding on July 31, 2025, and strong south-to-southeast winds that pushed water up the Delaware Bay and flooded coastal roads and structures on January 13, 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with the highest impact in high-risk areas. Zone A accounts for 579 claims with an average payout of $22,348 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Zone V properties experienced severe impacts, recording 33 claims with an average payout of $27,760 and an average recorded water depth of 17 inches. Lower-risk or unshaded zones also recorded claims, including Zone X unshaded with an average payout of $9,511 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches, and Zone X with an average payout of $15,210 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches.
Coastal property owners, residents near tidal waterways, and those in designated high-risk zones such as Zone A and Zone V should pay the closest attention to flood and storm surge warnings.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
10% of Cumberland County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
683 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 4 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2012, with 213 claims and $8.3M paid, the year of Severe Storms and Straight-line Winds and Hurricane Sandy.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
19 NOAA storm reports from Cumberland County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the New Jersey flood stories →
31 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Remnants Of Hurricane Ida | Sep 1, 2021 |
| Tropical Storm Isaias | Aug 4, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 22, 2016 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Jun 30, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 27, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 13, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Dec 26, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
106 since 1996: 31 flash floods, 31 river or area floods and 39 coastal floods or surges.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Aug 21, 2025 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 13, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Jan 10, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Mar 9, 2024 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Dec 23, 2022 | — |
| Coastal Flood | Apr 18, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 31, 2025. A stationary front sparked off showers and thunderstorms across the forecast area. Flash flooding resulted.
Coastal Flood · Aug 21, 2025. Storm surge from Hurricane Erin and an upcoming New Moon resulted in moderate to locally major high tide levels on the night of August 21, 2025 across coastal areas of New Jersey.
Coastal Flood · Jan 13, 2024. Strong south to southeast winds resulted in widespread tidal flooding for much of the coast line and tidal waterways. The strong southeast to south winds resulted in a push of water up the Delaware Bay/River and through the back bays of the Atlantic coast. The outcome was the tidal inundation of roads and structures.
Coastal Flood · Apr 11, 2024. High astronomical tides in addition to strong southerly flow resulted in higher water levels, mainly along the Delaware Bay and tidal Delaware River. However, some flooding was observed in the back bays as southerly flow prevented water from draining.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Cumberland County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.