Disaster Data / States / New Jersey / Cape May County

County

Cape May County, New Jersey

Cape May County recorded 20 federal disaster and emergency declarations since FY2000 (through FY2025): 12 major disasters, 8 emergencies, and 0 fire-management declarations. Its most common hazard is hurricane.

Highlighted: Cape May County, NJ

Totals: FY2000–FY2025 · Page last rebuilt Sep 12, 2026 · the current in-progress fiscal year is not included in totals

20
Declarations since FY2000
12
Major disasters (DR)
8
Emergencies (EM)
0
Fire management (FM)
Sep 2021
Most recent
$58.3M
Federal PA obligated (top: parks and recreation)

The federal disaster record for Cape May County runs between 2000 and 2021, covering 20 declarations in all. Its most recent major disaster declaration was Remnants Of Hurricane Ida in 2021. The hazards behind these declarations were most often hurricane, severe storm, and snowstorm. Since 2000, FEMA has obligated about $58.3 million in Public Assistance funding to the jurisdiction, most of it for parks and recreation.

Risk and vulnerability context

Historical declarations show what has happened here. These national datasets add context about underlying natural-hazard risk and community vulnerability.

County FIPS 34009
CDC / ATSDR

Social Vulnerability Index

2022 county-level SVI
35.4
overall percentile nationally

Approximately 35.4% of U.S. counties have an equal or lower overall SVI ranking.

Socioeconomic status38.9
Household characteristics37.3
Racial and ethnic minority status44.5
Housing type and transportation32.0

Higher percentiles indicate greater relative social vulnerability within the CDC SVI framework. CDC SVI documentation

FEMA

National Risk Index

December 2025
91.0
overall risk score
Relatively Moderate
Expected annual loss$99.7MRelatively Moderate
NRI social vulnerability37.2Relatively Low
Community resilience98.8Very High

The NRI combines expected annual loss, social vulnerability, and community resilience to describe relative natural-hazard risk. FEMA NRI documentation

About these measures: CDC Social Vulnerability Index and FEMA National Risk Index Social Vulnerability are separate measures built with different methods. They are shown side by side for context and should not be interpreted as equivalent scores.

Federal Public Assistance by category

Federal share obligated to this jurisdiction under FEMA Public Assistance since 2000, grouped by damage category. Figures are rounded to the nearest dollar and reflect obligations, which may change as projects close out.

CategoryProjectsFederal share obligated
Parks and recreation(G)83$29,412,152
Emergency protective measures(B)299$12,445,166
Debris removal(A)80$7,928,900
Buildings and equipment(E)69$3,069,884
Roads and bridges(C)51$2,449,039
Water control facilities(D)16$2,375,118
Utilities(F)13$304,112
Management costs(Z)12$275,092
All categories623$58,259,463

Recovery funding, how fast it came

For each disaster, the wait from the declaration to the first federal obligation (amber), then the federal share obligating after that (teal), on a shared 11-year scale. Typical wait to the first obligation here: about 197 days. An obligation is the federal share committed to the recipient state, not funds disbursed to the locality, which comes later and is not shown.

Remnants Of Hurricane Ida 2021$1.3M
360 days to first federal obligation
Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm 2021$1.1M
232 days to first federal obligation
Tropical Storm Isaias 2020$1.4M
178 days to first federal obligation
Covid-19 Pandemic 2020$6.9M
216 days to first federal obligation
Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm 2016$6.1M
81 days to first federal obligation
Hurricane Sandy 2012$23.6M
27 days to first federal obligation
Declared1 yr2 yr3 yr4 yr5 yr6 yr7 yr8 yr9 yr10 yr11 yr

Assistance to households (Individual Assistance)

FEMA Individual Assistance to households in this jurisdiction, combined across the Housing Assistance owner and renter programs. Valid registrations are households that applied within a designated Individual Assistance area; approved counts and dollars are the households FEMA found eligible under the Individuals and Households Program. Figures are self-reported and drawn from NEMIS through OpenFEMA, not audited, and Individual Assistance exists only for disasters where it was designated, so many jurisdictions show none.

8,485
valid registrations
2,837
households approved
$11,744,831
total IHP approved
Assistance typeApproved amount
Repair and replacement$4,605,823
Rental assistance$4,743,404
Other needs$2,348,020

Hazard mitigation, what has been funded here

Federal Hazard Mitigation Assistance obligated to this jurisdiction to reduce future disaster losses, across the FEMA mitigation programs. This is the record of past mitigation investment a local hazard mitigation plan documents. Figures are federal share obligated, reported through OpenFEMA and not audited, and are separate from the Public Assistance funding above.

$40,892,202
federal mitigation share
51
funded projects
312
properties mitigated
ProgramProjectsFederal share obligated
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program(HMGP)39$18,656,224
Flood Mitigation Assistance(FMA)9$11,712,203
Legislative Pre-Disaster Mitigation(LPDM)1$10,000,000
Pre-Disaster Mitigation(PDM)2$523,775

State declarations (governor)

Emergency declarations issued by the governor of this state, which are separate from and usually precede a federal declaration. A declaration is listed here when NOAA Storm Events recorded reports of the matched hazard in this jurisdiction while the order was in effect. That is evidence of local impact during a declared state emergency. It is not a statement that the governor named this jurisdiction in the order, since most state declarations apply statewide and name no localities at all. Hazard categories come from the order text. Damage figures are NOAA storm report estimates for this jurisdiction only, not the cost of the declaration.

14
state declarations with local storm evidence
149
statewide on record

Archive coverage for New Jersey: 1990-present (structured, provisional start date - see adapter notes); 1962-1989 selectively represented only, not systematically collected

SignedOrderDeclarationHazards reported hereReported damage
Sep 1, 2021259Governor Murphy Declares State of Emergency in Response to Tropical Storm IdaFlash FloodNot reported
Aug 3, 2020174Governor Murphy Declares State of Emergency in Response to Hurricane IsaiasThunderstorm Wind, TornadoNot reported
Nov 1, 2012106Declares State of Water Emergency, Authorizes DEP to Take Steps to Prevent Water Shortage [pdf 12kB]FloodNot reported
Oct 27, 2012104PROCLAIM that a State of Emergency exists in the State of New Jersey [pdf 15kB]FloodNot reported
Mar 14, 201018Declares and proclaims that a State of Emergency exists [pdf 21k]Hail, Heavy RainNot reported
Nov 12, 2009160Declares a State of Emergency for the counties of Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland, Burlington, Ocean and Monmouth.Heavy RainNot reported
Apr 16, 200764Declares a State of Emergency presently exists throughout the State of New Jersey.Heavy RainNot reported
Jun 28, 200616Declares a State of Emergency presently exists throughout the State of New Jersey.Flash FloodNot reported
Sep 15, 1999101Declares a State of Emergency in the State of New Jersey due to flooding from Hurricane Floyd.Heavy Rain$150,000
Feb 6, 199878Declares state of emergency existed and presently exists in Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth and Ocean Counties.Heavy RainNot reported
Aug 22, 199773Declares State of Emergency due to torrential rainfall and resultant flooding and damages, etc., in counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland and OceanFlash Flood$500,000
Oct 18, 199661Governor Christine Todd Whitman Return to EO IndexHeavy RainNot reported
Dec 11, 199275Declares an additional State of Emergency in the counties of Camden, Essex, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren Counties. See Executive Order No. 73.Thunderstorm WindNot reported
Dec 11, 199273Declares and proclaims a limited State of Emergency presently exists in Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Orders the New Jersey National Guard to active duty, such members of the National Guard that in the Adjutant General's judgment are necessary to provide aid to the above communities. The Superintendent of the Division of State Police is hereby authorized to order evacuations of persons, except for emergency and governmental personnel, etc.Thunderstorm WindNot reported

Source: state executive order archives collected by DisasterData Plus, joined to NOAA Storm Events. See the Plus overview for per-state coverage and method.

Most common hazards

Previous occurrences, for your mitigation plan

Every local hazard mitigation plan must document previous occurrences of each hazard. Here is that record for Cape May County, sourced to OpenFEMA and refreshed weekly. Copy it straight into your plan.

HazardDateFEMA declarationType
HurricaneSep 5, 2021DR-4614-NJDR
HurricaneSep 2, 2021EM-3573-NJEM
SnowstormApr 28, 2021DR-4597-NJDR
HurricaneDec 11, 2020DR-4574-NJDR
BiologicalMar 25, 2020DR-4488-NJDR
BiologicalMar 13, 2020EM-3451-NJEM
Severe StormMar 14, 2016DR-4264-NJDR
HurricaneOct 30, 2012DR-4086-NJDR
HurricaneOct 28, 2012EM-3354-NJEM
Severe StormNov 30, 2011DR-4048-NJDR
HurricaneAug 31, 2011DR-4021-NJDR
HurricaneAug 27, 2011EM-3332-NJEM
SnowstormFeb 4, 2011DR-1954-NJDR
Severe StormApr 2, 2010DR-1897-NJDR
SnowstormMar 23, 2010DR-1889-NJDR
Severe StormDec 22, 2009DR-1867-NJDR
HurricaneSep 19, 2005EM-3257-NJEM
SnowstormMar 20, 2003EM-3181-NJEM
FireSep 19, 2001EM-3169-NJEM
OtherNov 1, 2000EM-3156-NJEM

Every declaration on record

DR = Major disaster (Stafford Act) · EM = Emergency declaration · FM = Fire management assistance

Showing 20 declarations

DateNumberTypeHazardTitle
Sep 5, 2021DR-4614-NJDRHurricaneRemnants Of Hurricane Ida
Sep 2, 2021EM-3573-NJEMHurricaneRemnants Of Hurricane Ida
Apr 28, 2021DR-4597-NJDRSnowstormSevere Winter Storm And Snowstorm
Dec 11, 2020DR-4574-NJDRHurricaneTropical Storm Isaias
Mar 25, 2020DR-4488-NJDRBiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
Mar 13, 2020EM-3451-NJEMBiologicalCovid-19
Mar 14, 2016DR-4264-NJDRSevere StormSevere Winter Storm And Snowstorm
Oct 30, 2012DR-4086-NJDRHurricaneHurricane Sandy
Oct 28, 2012EM-3354-NJEMHurricaneHurricane Sandy
Nov 30, 2011DR-4048-NJDRSevere StormSevere Storm
Aug 31, 2011DR-4021-NJDRHurricaneHurricane Irene
Aug 27, 2011EM-3332-NJEMHurricaneHurricane Irene
Feb 4, 2011DR-1954-NJDRSnowstormSevere Winter Storm And Snowstorm
Apr 2, 2010DR-1897-NJDRSevere StormSevere Storms And Flooding
Mar 23, 2010DR-1889-NJDRSnowstormSevere Winter Storm And Snowstorm
Dec 22, 2009DR-1867-NJDRSevere StormSevere Storms And Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Ida And A Nor'Eas
Sep 19, 2005EM-3257-NJEMHurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
Mar 20, 2003EM-3181-NJEMSnowstormSnow
Sep 19, 2001EM-3169-NJEMFireFires And Explosions
Nov 1, 2000EM-3156-NJEMOtherWest Nile Virus
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How these numbers are built

Drawn from FEMA's OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, rebuilt each week. A declaration is counted here once for each designated area it names, so a single disaster covering many localities is counted in each one. For that reason these jurisdiction counts do not sum to New Jersey's statewide total. This page counts declarations that named this jurisdiction as a designated area. Totals cover complete fiscal years (Oct 1 to Sep 30); the in-progress year may appear in the most-recent list but is not counted in the totals. Uses OpenFEMA data but is not endorsed by or affiliated with FEMA.

Cite this profile

Choose a citation style, then copy the formatted citation. This profile is derived from FEMA OpenFEMA data and is updated as the underlying Disaster Data build is refreshed.

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