FEMA Records
30
High volume
New Jersey · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Middlesex County, NJ
30 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2021), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 30
- FEMA declarations
- 19
- Major disasters
- 98
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Middlesex County. Its 30 FEMA declarations are 1% above the New Jersey county mean and exceed the count for 86% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 2%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 2%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 30
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 5,249
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records; an EM authorizes a narrower set of federal assistance than a DR.
How does Middlesex County compare?
Middlesex County vs. all counties in this dataset
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time
30 Top 14% higher than 86% of 3,266 counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 · 2026-08-03
Middlesex County's FEMA Risk Index score
FEMA National Risk Index composite score vs. the New Jersey county average
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Middlesex County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $196.8M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Relatively Moderate), while Strong Wind carries the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High). EAL and risk score use different inputs; they need not agree.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025 release) - Expected Annual Loss vs composite risk rating by hazard.
What does Middlesex County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 5,249 claims and $164.6M in payments. PlainHazard labels 500 or more claims a heavy registry record; that is a reporting bucket, not an official FEMA risk grade. The average paid claim was $31.4K. NFIP totals exclude uninsured flood losses and do not measure how many properties currently carry a policy.
The declaration register points in the busier direction. Middlesex County's 30 federal records stand 1% above the New Jersey county mean of 29.7. That comparison describes how often federal action was recorded, including any Major Disaster, Emergency, and Fire Management entries shown on this page; it does not convert the count into future probability.
FEMA National Risk Index
This county sits among the highest-risk counties nationally on FEMA's National Risk Index, a composite score of 97.8/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $282.4M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Moderate and community resilience Relatively Moderate, both critical modifiers of realized harm here. Of the 18 hazards FEMA models, Strong Wind stands out as the sharpest exposure here, rated Very High. FEMA's modeled frequency puts that hazard at an average of 6.9 times per year here, based on 264 historical events on record.
Declaration frequency
The FEMA register is busy by both local and national comparisons. It contains 30 entries for Middlesex County, including 19 Major Disaster records, 1% above the New Jersey county mean. Across the 56-year span, that works out to 0.5 declarations a year. Hurricane leads the file with 9 entries. Declaration type records the federal action taken, not every assistance program approved.
71 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Middlesex County, NJ · PlainHazard-derived composite from federal records
This 0–100 index is an explicit PlainHazard composite from FEMA declaration history only on the county surface (this DB has no county-level NOAA damage row) . It is not FEMA's National Risk Index, not a forecast, and not a safety, insurance, or preparedness rating. Open the calculator · Methodology
FEMA Declarations (1953–present) High
22/30
30 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.4x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
13/25
30 declarations (1.0x state county average of 30)
Major Disaster Share High
16/25
19 of 30 declarations are major disasters (63%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
9 different disaster types declared in Middlesex County
Historical Declaration Activity
Activity Band
High
vs. New Jersey Avg
+1%
State avg: 29.7
vs. National Avg
+45%
National avg: 20.7
Avg Per Year
0.5
Over 56 years
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Middlesex County
How to read this radar
Each axis: NRI risk rating (Very Low-Very High) on a 0-100 scale. Rounder = broad exposure; spiky = one or two hazards dominate.
Major Disaster share
63%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
98
Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Middlesex County?
FEMA's National Risk Index models a historical event count and an annualized frequency for each hazard type. Most hazards are expressed as modeled occurrences per year; FEMA expresses drought and heat-wave frequency as event-days per year. These modeled frequencies are not forecasts.
| Hazard | NRI Risk Rating | Recurrence |
|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Very High | an average of 6.9 times per year |
| Winter Weather | Very High | an average of 11 times per year |
| Ice Storm | Very High | an average of 1 time per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | an average of 3.2 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 7.5 modeled event-days per year |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 495 years |
| Tornado | Relatively High | roughly once every 8 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | roughly once every 1 years |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 9 years |
| Coastal Flooding | Relatively High | an average of 3.8 times per year |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | an average of 34 times per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | roughly once every 1,562 years |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 3 modeled event-days per year |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | roughly once every 10 years |
| Hail | Relatively Low | an average of 2.4 times per year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 9
Severe Storm 5
Flood 5
Snowstorm 4
Biological 2
Drought 2
Fire 1
Other 1
Severe Ice Storm 1
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Middlesex County's federal record, 30% of its declarations. Atlantic tropical systems run on a defined season, 1 June to 30 November, with most activity concentrated between August and October; Pacific and territorial basins run on their own calendars. A single named storm routinely produces one declaration number covering a long corridor of counties at once, well inland as well as on the coast, which is why an affected county's count can jump by several in one year without several separate events having occurred.
One practical distinction matters when reading these records: a tropical declaration usually bundles wind, storm surge and inland rainfall flooding under a single incident, but the insurance behind them is split. Wind damage falls to property insurers, while flood and surge damage is covered only under a separate National Flood Insurance Program policy. That is why a county can show heavy declaration activity and a comparatively small NFIP claims record, or the reverse.
Declaration counts describe past federal action. They are a record of what was declared, not a forecast of future hazard probability.
Declaration Types
What DR / EM / FM mean
FEMA categorizes declarations as Major Disasters (DR), Emergencies (EM), or Fire Management Assistance (FM).
Major Disaster - 19 63.3%
of all 30 declarations
Emergency - 11 36.7%
of all 30 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 3 | |
| 2010 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 2 | |
| 1999 | 2 | |
| 1997 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 2 | |
Show 7 earlier declaration years
| 1981 | 1 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
| 1975 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
| 1971 | 1 | |
| 1968 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 30 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 30 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| 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 |
| 4488 | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR | Biological | 2020-03-25 |
| 3451 | COVID-19 | EM | Biological | 2020-03-13 |
| 4264 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2016-03-14 |
| 4086 | HURRICANE SANDY | DR | Hurricane | 2012-10-30 |
| 3354 | HURRICANE SANDY | EM | Hurricane | 2012-10-28 |
| 4048 | SEVERE STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 2011-11-30 |
| 4021 | HURRICANE IRENE | DR | Hurricane | 2011-08-31 |
| 3332 | HURRICANE IRENE | EM | Hurricane | 2011-08-27 |
| 1954 | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2011-02-04 |
| 1897 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2010-04-02 |
| 1694 | SEVERE STORMS AND INLAND AND COASTAL FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 2007-04-26 |
| 3257 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-19 |
| 3181 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2003-03-20 |
| 3169 | FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS | EM | Fire | 2001-09-19 |
| 3156 | WEST NILE VIRUS | EM | Other | 2000-11-01 |
| 1295 | HURRICANE FLOYD MAJOR DISASTER DECLARATIONS | DR | Hurricane | 1999-09-18 |
| 3148 | HURRICANE FLOYD EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS | EM | Hurricane | 1999-09-17 |
| 1145 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR | Severe Storm | 1996-11-19 |
Show 10 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1088 | BLIZZARD OF 96 (SEVERE SNOW STORM) | DR | Snowstorm | 1996-01-13 |
| 3106 | SEVERE BLIZZARD | EM | Snowstorm | 1993-03-17 |
| 973 | COASTAL STORM, HIGH TIDES, HEAVY RAIN, & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1992-12-18 |
| 3083 | WATER SHORTAGE | EM | Drought | 1980-10-19 |
| 528 | ICE CONDITIONS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 1977-02-08 |
| 477 | HEAVY RAINS, HIGH WINDS, HAIL & TORNADOES | DR | Flood | 1975-07-23 |
| 402 | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1973-08-07 |
| 310 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1971-09-04 |
| 245 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1968-06-18 |
| 205 | WATER SHORTAGE | DR | Drought | 1965-08-18 |
Storm Events in New Jersey
Statewide NOAA context only. PlainHazard does not currently attribute these state totals to Middlesex County.
| Storm Type | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 2,853 | 6 | 27 | $33.9M |
| Winter Weather | 1,141 | 8 | 114 | $0 |
| Flash Flood | 955 | 32 | 7 | $226.8M |
| Coastal Flood | 380 | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Winter Storm | 361 | 11 | 8 | $0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database NOAA Storm Events Database State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
5,249
Total Paid
$164.6M
Avg Per Claim
$31.4K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 97.8/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$282.4M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Relatively Moderate
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Strong Wind Very High
Winter Weather Very High
Ice Storm Very High
Riverine Flooding Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Tornado Relatively High
Cold Wave Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively Moderate
Coastal Flooding Relatively High
Lightning Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Low
Drought Relatively Moderate
Landslide Relatively Low
Hail Relatively 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
The model's sharpest exposure here: Strong Wind
Strong Wind covers damaging non-thunderstorm, non-tornadic wind, the kind produced by steep pressure gradients and downslope events. It is a broad, frequent, low-drama hazard: roofs, signage, power lines and high-profile vehicles, spread across a wide area rather than concentrated on a path.
Worth noting for Middlesex County: the model and the federal record do NOT point at the same hazard. Strong Wind carries the highest modeled rating (Very High), while the county's declaration history is led by Hurricane. That is not a contradiction, the two measure genuinely different things. Declarations record federal ACTION, which requires damage costly enough to exceed state and local capacity; the Risk Index models EXPECTED annual loss across all 18 hazards whether or not any declaration ever followed. A hazard can be the county's largest modeled exposure and never once have driven a declaration.
National Risk Index ratings are modeled estimates of expected annual loss, not predictions of what will happen in any given year.
Data-matched county comparisons
Middlesex County's closest FEMA peer: St. Clair County, AL
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Middlesex County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Middlesex County shows 30 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Middlesex County: 19 of 30 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Middlesex County: NRI composite 97.8 (Relatively High).
How these peers are chosen
Cohort: Published U.S. county equivalents outside the source state or territory. Each metric keeps six ETL candidates; three unique destinations are shown after de-duplicating across axes. Declaration-volume ranking combines count and Major-disaster share and prefers a different leading incident type; Major-share ranks the Major fraction adjusted for volume; NRI ranks the modeled composite score only.
Retained FEMA snapshot feed for Middlesex County - capture-dated entries only.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Middlesex County's NFIP claims file (5,249 claims) and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records - this guide separates them from modeled NRI risk.
More PlainHazard guides
- Most disaster-prone counties - U.S. counties ranked by FEMA declaration totals.
- Understanding disaster data - declarations vs storm events vs NRI scores.
- Preparing for natural disasters - household checklist (not county-specific advice).
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Middlesex County?
The most common disaster type in Middlesex County is Hurricane, with 9 declarations. Other disaster types include Severe Storm (5), Flood (5), Snowstorm (4).
How does Middlesex County's FEMA declaration record compare with the New Jersey average?
FEMA lists 30 declaration records for Middlesex County. That is 1% above the New Jersey county mean of 29.7. Its count is also 45% above the national county mean of 20.7. A larger declaration history records more federal actions; it is not a forecast of the county's next hazard.
How many major FEMA disaster declarations has Middlesex County received?
Middlesex County has received 19 major disaster declarations, representing 63% of all 30 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Middlesex County filed?
Middlesex County has 5,249 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $164.6M in payments, with an average of $31.4K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Middlesex County?
No. In Middlesex County, Strong Wind has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $196.8M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Middlesex County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Middlesex County was 2011, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2021.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Middlesex County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Middlesex County, New Jersey has an overall risk score of 97.8 out of 100 (Relatively High). The county's social vulnerability rating is Relatively Moderate and community resilience is Relatively Moderate. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $282.4M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Middlesex County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Middlesex County as of the latest release is Strong Wind (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Winter Weather (Very High) and Ice Storm (Very High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts strong wind here at an average of 6.9 times per year, drawn from 264 historical events on record. FEMA derives these ratings from historical event frequency, the assets exposed, and the community's vulnerability profile.
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.
Flood insurance data comes from the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA claims dataset.
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 Middlesex County
Middlesex County, NJ has 30 federal declaration records, 1% more than the New Jersey county mean of 30; its history sits in PlainHazard's high activity band.
- Within this above-state-average declaration file, major disaster leads with 19 of 30 records; the category describes past federal action, not the next likely hazard. New Jersey overview
- The state benchmark and national rank point the same way: this count tops the New Jersey mean and the totals for 86% of 3,266 U.S. counties. Most-disaster rankings
- The large NFIP claims file and FEMA declaration history measure different federal records; the guide explains where they overlap and where they do not. Disaster-data guide
An above-average declaration count records past federal responses; it does not predict the next event. Current warnings come from the National Weather Service and local emergency officials.
PlainHazard derives this profile from FEMA's Disaster Declarations Summaries and National Risk Index data. The declaration comparison covers 3,266 U.S. counties and county equivalents in this database, refreshed as of 2026-08-03. 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 public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHazard Editorial
Verify with FEMA → · Verify with FEMA NRI → · Verify with NOAA →
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, the data & editorial changelog, or report a data error.