Crime & Safety
6 NJ Counties Among Worst In U.S. For Flooding: Ranking
Several Garden State counties ranked among the top 20 U.S. counties most likely to be affected by flooding.
NEW JERSEY — How at risk of flooding is your New Jersey county? If you live in one of six located on the Jersey Shore or Hudson River, the risk is higher than most other counties in the nation, according to a new ranking released this week.
Bergen, Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May all ranked in the top 10 U.S. counties most at risk for flooding, according to the ranking released by lawn care blog LawnStarter.
Bergen County, located along the Hudson River, ranked No. 2 in the study. Meanwhile, Jersey Shore counties Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May came in at 3rd, 4th, and 5th, respectively.
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Middlesex and Monmouth counties ranked further down in the top 20, coming in at No. 16 and No. 20, respectively.
To determine which were most at risk for flooding and flood damage, LawnStarter compared more than 940 counties with a moderate to very high flood risk by analyzing data from the Federal Emergency Agency and U.S. Census Bureau.
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Data included each county’s risk and expected annual loss from riverine and coastal flooding. LawnStarter also looked at the number of people living in mobile homes, in addition to local demand for flood insurance.
Gulf Coast states Florida, Louisiana and Texas accounted for nearly half of the 100 most vulnerable counties mainly due to hurricane-related flooding. Counties in Texas and Louisiana experience among the highest economic impacts from riverine flooding, according to the study.
Meanwhile, counties in Mid-Atlantic states like New Jersey, New York and Virginia also face the highest flood risk. Garden State counties scored among the 10 counties with the highest overall economic impact from coastal and riverine flooding.
Here's a look at the top 20 U.S. counties most at risk for flooding:
- Harris County, TX
- Bergen County, NJ
- Ocean County, NJ
- Atlantic County, NJ
- Cape May County, NJ
- Cameron County, TX
- Volusia County, FL
- Miami-Dade County, FL
- St. Johns County, FL
- Brevard County, FL
- Philadelphia County, PA
- Dixie County, FL
- Coos County, OR
- St. Mary Parish, LA
- St. Martin Parish, LA
- Middlesex County, NJ
- Galveston County, TX
- Livingston Parish, LA
- Brazoria County, TX
- Monmouth County, NJ
See the full ranking online.
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