FEMA Records
4
Total declarations
New Jersey · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Cape May County, NJ
4 FEMA disaster declarations (2021–2021), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively Moderate. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 4
- FEMA declarations
- 3
- Major disasters
- 91
- NRI risk · Relatively Moderate
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
FEMA's National Risk Index places Cape May County in the top 9% of U.S. counties for overall natural-hazard risk, and its FEMA disaster-declaration count is higher than 59% of all 2,729 counties tracked.
How does Cape May County compare?
FEMA disaster declarations, this county versus the New Jersey county average and the national county average.
- Cape May County
- 4
- New Jersey county avg
- 2.9
- National county avg
- 3.7
How disaster-prone is Cape May County?
Cape May County, New Jersey has recorded 4 FEMA disaster declarations between 2021 and 2021, of which 3 were classified as Major Disaster declarations (DR) requiring federal individual and public assistance. That puts the county's average at — declarations per year, or roughly 40% above the New Jersey county average of 2.9 and 7% above the national county average of 3.7. Declaration counts reflect federal recognition of event severity, not pure hazard frequency — smaller incidents handled locally never appear in FEMA's ledger.
The dominant disaster type on record is Hurricane, with 3 of 4 declarations falling under this category. FEMA's National Risk Index assigns this county an overall risk rating of Relatively Moderate (composite score 91.0/100), driven by an Expected Annual Loss rating of Relatively Moderate equivalent to roughly $99.7M in annualized losses. Social vulnerability scores Relatively Low and community resilience scores Very High — two factors that modify raw hazard exposure into actual harm. The single highest-risk natural hazard identified for this county is Coastal Flooding (Very High).
NFIP flood insurance claims data for this county is not present in the FEMA claims extract, which typically indicates either low historical flood activity or low policy penetration. Taken together, these indicators place Cape May County at a low relative risk level for federally recognized disasters. Households should pair this historical lens with forward-looking hazard maps — flood zones, wildfire risk overlays, and seismic zones published by FEMA and state emergency management — before making preparedness, insurance, or relocation decisions.
Risk Assessment
How Cape May County's disaster history compares to state and national averages.
Risk Level
Low
vs. New Jersey Avg
+40%
State avg: 2.9
vs. National Avg
+7%
National avg: 3.7
Avg Per Year
—
—
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar — Cape May County
The radar plots Cape May County's relative exposure to the eight headline natural hazards used by the FEMA National Risk Index. Each axis is the qualitative NRI risk rating (Very Low through Very High) re-expressed on a 0-100 scale so that the polygon shape lets you compare a county against another at a glance.
NRI Source
FEMA 2023
Latest NRI release
County FIPS
34009
NJ state code
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, 2023 release
Disaster Types
Breakdown of 4 FEMA disaster declarations in Cape May County by incident type.
Hurricane 3
Snowstorm 1
Declaration Types
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster — 3 75.0%
of all 4 declarations
Emergency — 1 25.0%
of all 4 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
Disaster declarations per year for Cape May County.
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4 | |
Disaster Declarations
All 4 FEMA disaster declarations for Cape May County, New Jersey.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4614 | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | DR | Hurricane | 2021-09-05 |
| 3573 | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | EM | Hurricane | 2021-09-02 |
| 4597 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2021-04-28 |
| 4574 | TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS | DR | Hurricane | 2020-12-11 |
Storm Events in New Jersey
NOAA severe weather data for New Jersey (2015–2025). Storm event data is tracked at the state level.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 3,061 | 8 | 31 | $34.1M |
| Winter Weather | 1,289 | 8 | 114 | $0 |
| Flash Flood | 1,033 | 34 | 7 | $227.1M |
| Coastal Flood | 403 | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Winter Storm | 390 | 11 | 8 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015–2025
FEMA National Risk Index
FEMA's composite risk score combining 18 natural hazard types, social vulnerability, and community resilience for Cape May County.
Overall Risk
Relatively Moderate
Score: 91.0/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively Moderate
$99.7M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Low
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Risk rating for each of the 18 FEMA NRI natural hazard types in Cape May County.
Coastal Flooding Very High
Strong Wind Very High
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Winter Weather Relatively High
Wildfire Relatively Low
Earthquake Relatively Low
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Drought Relatively Low
Cold Wave Relatively Low
Ice Storm Relatively Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Hail Very Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) Ratings reflect relative scores among all US counties. Data: hazards.fema.gov/nri
Counties with Similar Risk in New Jersey
Other New Jersey counties with similar disaster declaration counts.
Disaster Preparedness Guides
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
How many natural disasters has Cape May County, New Jersey had?
Cape May County, New Jersey has received 4 FEMA disaster declarations from 2021 to 2021. Of these, 3 were major disaster declarations.
What is the most common disaster type in Cape May County?
The most common disaster type in Cape May County is Hurricane, with 3 declarations. Other disaster types include Snowstorm (1).
How does Cape May County's disaster risk compare to the New Jersey average?
Cape May County has 4 disaster declarations, which is 40% higher than the New Jersey county average of 2.9 declarations. Compared to the national county average of 3.7, it is 7% higher.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Cape May County received?
Cape May County has received 3 major disaster declarations, representing 75% of all 4 disaster declarations. Major disaster declarations typically involve significant damage requiring federal assistance.
What types of storms are most common in New Jersey?
The most common storm types in New Jersey include Thunderstorm Wind (3,061 events), Winter Weather (1,289 events), Flash Flood (1,033 events). NOAA storm event data covers severe weather from 2015 to 2025.
What is the overall disaster risk level for Cape May County?
Based on FEMA declaration history, Cape May County has a low disaster risk level with 4 total declarations. This county has relatively few disaster declarations compared to the national average.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Cape May County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Cape May County, New Jersey has an overall risk score of 91.0 out of 100 (Relatively Moderate). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Low and community resilience is Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively Moderate, representing $99.7M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Cape May County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Cape May County is Coastal Flooding (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Strong Wind (Very High) and Hurricane (Relatively Moderate). These scores are based on FEMA's analysis of historical event frequency, exposed assets, and community vulnerability.
Data Sources & Methodology
Disaster declaration data comes from the FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 API, which includes all federally declared disasters, emergencies, and fire management assistance grants.
Storm event data is sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025), which tracks significant weather events including thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms.
This data is provided for informational purposes only. FEMA disaster declarations represent federal response actions and may not capture all local emergencies or weather events.
What this means for Cape May County
Cape May County, NJ has 4 FEMA disaster declarations on record — a low historical disaster load, 40% above the New Jersey county average.
- Its most common federal declaration type is major disaster (3 of 4) — know the hazards most likely here before they happen. New Jersey overview
- See how this county ranks against the rest of the country for disaster frequency. Most-disaster rankings
- Read how to read FEMA declarations, NRI risk scores, and what they do and don't tell you. Disaster-data guide
Historical declaration counts describe past federal response, not a forecast. For current threats, follow the National Weather Service and local officials; in an emergency call 911.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FEMA OpenFEMA — Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 — all federally-declared disasters for this county. fema.gov/openfema/disaster-declarations
- FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) — per-county per-hazard risk ratings and expected annual loss. hazards.fema.gov/nri
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database — state-level storm/severe-weather event records, 2015–2025. ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents
Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
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