FEMA Records
33
Very high volume
New Jersey · FEMA + NOAA + National Risk Index
Ocean County, NJ
33 FEMA disaster declarations (1965-2025), with a FEMA National Risk Index rating of Relatively High. Most common hazard: Hurricane.
- 33
- FEMA declarations
- 19
- Major disasters
- 96
- NRI risk · Relatively High
- Hurricane
- Top hazard
The verdict
Two federal records point in the busier direction for Ocean County. Its 33 FEMA declarations are 11% above the New Jersey county mean and exceed the count for 91% of the 3,266 counties in this registry. Separately, FEMA's National Risk Index places it in the riskiest 4%, based on modeled expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience.
- Riskiest 4%
- of U.S. counties for FEMA National Risk Index score
- Relatively High
- FEMA National Risk Index rating
- 33
- FEMA declarations vs 21 national county avg
- 52,880
- NFIP flood insurance claims filed
FEMA's National Risk Index and its declaration registry are separate measures. This county's registry includes Fire Management Assistance (FM) records, which are not presidential disaster declarations, alongside Major Disaster (DR) and Emergency (EM) records.
FEMA OpenFEMA declaration desk
County FIPS 34029 · Ocean County 33 declarations · rank 291/3,266
DECL-HEAVY · MAJOR-MID · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · NRI-HIGH · ACT-HIGH · TYPE-LEAD · VS-ST-ABOVE
- DECL-HEAVY 33
- MAJOR-MID 58%
- RANK-UPPER #291
- PHOTO-FINISH Nelson
- NRI-HIGH 96
- ACT-HIGH High
- TYPE-LEAD Hurricane
- VS-ST-ABOVE +11%
Nearest declaration peer: Nelson, ND (0 declaration gap)
FEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 filing stamps for this county register. Read with this county → · New Jersey state profile
Ocean County among high-volume declaration counties
FEMA declaration records among Ocean County and nearest peers by total count
- Los Angeles · largest
Los Angeles · largest
88 declarations
- Garvin · near 33
Garvin · near
33 declarations
- Monterey · near 33
Monterey · near
33 declarations
- Nelson · near 33
Nelson · near
33 declarations
- Ocean · this county 33
Ocean · this county
33 declarations
- Ujelang · smallest 1
Ujelang · smallest
1 declarations
What this shows Ocean County carries 33 FEMA declaration records, ranked 291 of 3,266 counties in this registry.
Where Ocean County ranks in the national declaration registry
Ocean County vs. high-volume counties in this registry
FEMA disaster declarations, all-time · Ocean County
33 Top 9% higher than 91% 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 · 2026-08-25
Ocean County's FEMA Risk Index score
Which hazard drives modeled loss here?
FEMA's modeled annual dollar loss for Ocean County is led by Riverine Flooding (about $99.8M Expected Annual Loss, Historical Loss Ratio Very Low), 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 Ocean County's hazard record show?
Reading the federal records together
FEMA's NFIP table contains a substantial paid-claim history for this county: 52,880 claims and $2.6B 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 $49.4K. 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. Ocean County's 33 federal records stand 11% 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 96.2/100 (Relatively High). Expected Annual Loss is rated Relatively High (roughly $203.7M in annualized losses). Social vulnerability reads Relatively Moderate and community resilience Very High, 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 4.4 times per year here, based on 136 historical events on record.
72 /100
Historical Activity Index
High historical activity
Ocean 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) Very High
24/30
33 OpenFEMA declarations, full ingest window (1.6x national county average)
County Disaster Density High
14/25
33 declarations (1.1x state county average of 30)
Major Disaster Share High
14/25
19 of 33 declarations are major disasters (58%)
Hazard Diversity Very High
20/20
10 different disaster types declared in Ocean County
FEMA NRI 8-hazard radar - Ocean 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
58%
Major-heavy
NRI risk score
96
Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Per-county per-hazard ratings, December 2025 release
How often does each hazard strike Ocean 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 4.4 times per year |
| Winter Weather | Very High | an average of 9.4 times per year |
| Coastal Flooding | Very High | an average of 3.6 times per year |
| Lightning | Very High | an average of 30 times per year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively High | an average of 3.4 times per year |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 6.8 modeled event-days per year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 332 years |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | roughly once every 2 years |
| Hurricane | Relatively High | roughly once every 5 years |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | roughly once every 569 years |
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | roughly once every 1 years |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 7.1 modeled event-days per year |
| Hail | Relatively Low | an average of 1.4 times per year |
| Landslide | Very Low | roughly once every 9 years |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | roughly once every 4 years |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index Modeled annualized frequency; drought and heat wave use event-days/year, December 2025 release
Disaster Types
Hurricane 8
Snowstorm 6
Fire 4
Severe Storm 4
Flood 4
Biological 2
Drought 2
Other 1
Coastal Storm 1
Severe Ice Storm 1
What Hurricane declarations mean here
Hurricane is the most frequent declaration type on Ocean County's federal record, 24% 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 57.6%
of all 33 declarations
Emergency - 11 33.3%
of all 33 declarations
Fire Management - 3 9.1%
of all 33 declarations
FEMA Declarations Timeline
| Year | Declarations | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 3 | |
| 2010 | 3 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 2 | |
| 1999 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 1 | |
Show 8 earlier declaration years
| 1993 | 2 | |
| 1992 | 1 | |
| 1984 | 1 | |
| 1981 | 1 | |
| 1977 | 1 | |
| 1976 | 1 | |
| 1971 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 1 | |
Disaster Declarations
How the 33 FEMA declarations break into federal action codes (DR / EM / FM). Same DISTINCT grain as the table below.
Download these 33 declarations as CSV . FEMA source data is public domain; our derived presentation is CC0.
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5581 | JONES ROAD FIRE | FM | Fire | 2025-04-24 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 1873 | SNOWSTORM | DR | Snowstorm | 2010-02-05 |
| 1867 | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL DEPRESSION IDA AND A NOR'EAS | DR | Severe Storm | 2009-12-22 |
| 2695 | WARREN GROVE FIRE | FM | Fire | 2007-05-16 |
| 3257 | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM | Hurricane | 2005-09-19 |
| 3181 | SNOW | EM | Snowstorm | 2003-03-20 |
| 2411 | NJ - DOUBLE TROUBLE WILDFIRE - 6/02/02 | FM | Fire | 2002-06-02 |
| 3169 | FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS | EM | Fire | 2001-09-19 |
Show 13 earlier declaration records
| DR# | Title | Type | Incident | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3156 | WEST NILE VIRUS | EM | Other | 2000-11-01 |
| 3148 | HURRICANE FLOYD EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS | EM | Hurricane | 1999-09-17 |
| 1206 | SEVERE WINTER COASTAL STORM, HIGH WINDS, FLOODING | DR | Coastal Storm | 1998-03-03 |
| 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 |
| 936 | SEVERE COASTAL STORM | DR | Severe Storm | 1992-03-03 |
| 701 | COASTAL STORMS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1984-04-12 |
| 3083 | WATER SHORTAGE | EM | Drought | 1980-10-19 |
| 528 | ICE CONDITIONS | DR | Severe Ice Storm | 1977-02-08 |
| 519 | SEVERE STORMS, HIGH WINDS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1976-08-21 |
| 310 | HEAVY RAINS & FLOODING | DR | Flood | 1971-09-04 |
| 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 Ocean 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 State-level aggregated data, 2015-2025
NFIP Flood Insurance Claims
Total Claims
52,880
Total Paid
$2.6B
Avg Per Claim
$49.4K
Source: FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) OpenFEMA Claims Data
FEMA National Risk Index
Overall Risk
Relatively High
Score: 96.2/100
Expected Annual Loss
Relatively High
$203.7M/year
Social Vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience
Very High
Hazard Risk Breakdown
Strong Wind Very High
Winter Weather Very High
Coastal Flooding Very High
Lightning Very High
Riverine Flooding Relatively High
Heat Wave Relatively Moderate
Wildfire Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm Relatively High
Hurricane Relatively High
Earthquake Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave Relatively High
Drought Relatively Low
Hail Relatively Low
Landslide Very Low
Tornado Relatively Low
Source: 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 Ocean 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
Ocean County's closest FEMA peer: Cheshire County, NH
Comparisons use published FEMA declaration fields plus the National Risk Index composite for Ocean County. Record similarity, not a safety rating.
Closest declaration profiles
Ocean County shows 33 FEMA declarations, led by Hurricane.
Similar Major-disaster share
Ocean County: 19 of 33 of its declarations are Major.
Similar modeled NRI score
Ocean County: NRI composite 96.2 (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 Ocean County - capture-dated entries only.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by NRI score & FEMA declaration volume
Two PlainHazard-derived comparison paths for Ocean County: nearest out-of-state National Risk Index composite and nearest FEMA declaration count (floor ≥5 records). Record similarity only, not a forecast of the next hazard.
Similar NRI composite
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA NRI score. This county: 96.2 (Relatively High).
Similar declaration volume
Nearest out-of-state counties by FEMA declaration count. This county: 33. NRI peers are excluded so the two link sets stay distinct.
Further reading for this county
Understanding disaster data
Ocean County's NFIP claims file (52,880 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).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common disaster type in Ocean County?
The most common disaster type in Ocean County is Hurricane, with 8 declarations. Other disaster types include Snowstorm (6), Fire (4), Severe Storm (4).
How does Ocean County's FEMA declaration record compare with the New Jersey average?
FEMA lists 33 declaration records for Ocean County. That is 11% above the New Jersey county mean of 29.7. Its count is also 59% 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 Ocean County received?
Ocean County has received 19 major disaster declarations, representing 58% of all 33 disaster declarations.
How many flood insurance claims has Ocean County filed?
Ocean County has 52,880 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims totaling $2.6B in payments, with an average of $49.4K per claim.
Does FEMA's top risk-rated hazard match the highest Expected Annual Loss in Ocean County?
No. In Ocean County, Strong Wind has the highest National Risk Index rating (Very High), while Riverine Flooding leads Expected Annual Loss at about $99.8M. FEMA's risk score and dollar-loss model use different inputs, so the leaders often differ.
What was the worst year for disasters in Ocean County?
The most active year for disaster declarations in Ocean County was 2010, with 3 declarations. The county has FEMA disaster data spanning 1965 to 2025.
What is the FEMA National Risk Index score for Ocean County?
According to the FEMA National Risk Index, Ocean County, New Jersey has an overall risk score of 96.2 out of 100 (Relatively High). On social vulnerability the county rates Relatively Moderate; on community resilience, Very High. The Expected Annual Loss (EAL) score is Relatively High, representing $203.7M in annualized losses.
Which natural hazard poses the greatest risk to Ocean County?
Based on FEMA NRI data, the highest-risk natural hazard in Ocean County is Strong Wind (risk rating: Very High). Other significant hazards include Winter Weather (Very High) and Coastal Flooding (Very High). FEMA's modeled event frequency puts strong wind here at an average of 4.4 times per year, drawn from 136 historical events on record. 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.
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.
FEMA OpenFEMA declarations + NRI for Ocean County · vintage 2026-08-25 · Methodology · New Jersey profile · Verify with FEMA OpenFEMA · Verify with NOAA Storm Events