Flooding in Dumont, New Jersey: the flood zone, the record, and what to do
Dumont has no big river. What it has is a small brook system, densely built streets and a flood record shaped more by downpours than by slow river floods. Here is what FEMA and the county have published about it.
FEMA counts 142 National Flood Insurance Program claims in Dumont and nine repetitive-loss properties, none in the severe category. The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan puts just 4.60 per cent of the borough's land in the 1 per cent annual chance flood zone, mostly along Hirschfeld Brook and its tributaries. Unlike the Pascack Valley towns, Dumont's worst storm on record was Ida in 2021, not Irene. The borough takes part in FEMA's Community Rating System, which trims flood premiums for policies in the high-risk zone.
The short version
- FEMA records 142 flood insurance claims in Dumont, with Hurricane Ida the largest single cause.
- The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan puts only 4.60 per cent of the borough's land in the 1 per cent annual chance flood zone.
- FEMA's flood study maps Hirschfeld Brook, Hirschfeld Brook Tributary and a tributary to the Oradell Reservoir in Dumont.
- FEMA lists nine repetitive-loss properties in the borough, none severe, as of August 2026.
- Dumont is in FEMA's Community Rating System at Class 9 and plans to clean and expand its brooks.
Ida tops the record
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program data list 142 claims in the Borough of Dumont. The busiest year was 2021, with 32 claims, followed by 1999 with 28, 2011 with 22 and 2007 with 21. By named event, FEMA attributes 30 claims to Hurricane Ida, 28 to Hurricane Floyd and 16 each to the April 2007 nor'easter and Hurricane Irene. In most Bergen towns along a large river, Irene or Floyd dominates the record. In Dumont, the September 2021 storm, which the USGS says brought 4 to 10 inches of rain across northern New Jersey, produced the most claims. That pattern suggests flooding from small brooks and overloaded storm drainage, which can strike streets well away from any mapped flood zone.
A small flood zone along Hirschfeld Brook
Table 4.6-1 of the Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan measures 57.63 acres of Dumont, or 4.60 per cent of its 1,252 acres, in FEMA's Special Flood Hazard Area, rising to 5.36 per cent with the 0.2 per cent annual chance zone. FEMA's countywide Flood Insurance Study names the borough's mapped flood sources as Hirschfeld Brook, Hirschfeld Brook Tributary and a stream the study calls the Tributary to Oradell Reservoir; the borough's flood maps were revised along the last two in 1978. Hirschfeld Brook drains about 4.6 square miles by the time it reaches the Hackensack River bypass in New Milford, so it is a modest stream, but in an intensely built-up borough modest streams have little room to spread.
Streets, not just streams
The county plan's record of past events includes a July 2002 thunderstorm that dropped rain at one to two inches an hour and caused widespread street flooding in Dumont. Flooding of that kind collects in low intersections and runs down driveways toward basement doors; it does not need a brook to overflow. The US Census Bureau counts 6,768 housing units in the borough, at a median year built of 1952, so much of the housing dates from the post-war decades. FEMA's multiple-loss data, as of 2 August 2026, list nine repetitive-loss properties, a sign that a handful of addresses take water again and again.
What the borough is doing
Dumont joined FEMA's Community Rating System in 2017 at Class 9, which the county plan says gives flood policies in the Special Flood Hazard Area a 5 per cent premium discount. The county plan reports that since 2021 the borough has focused on flood resilience, emergency response and backup power at essential facilities, and that over the next five years it plans to clean and expand its brooks. Clearing sediment and debris from small channels is one of the more direct ways a town like Dumont can keep a brook in its banks during a cloudburst. The county plan counts 68 active flood policies in the borough as of October 2024.
What this means if you own or rent here
Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, and do not treat a location outside the mapped zone as dry: Ida showed how far storm water can travel in Dumont. Look at how water reaches your house in heavy rain, from the street, the driveway and the neighbouring lot, and keep downspouts and window wells clear. A backwater valve on the sewer line can help where floor drains back up; a licensed plumber can advise. About 27 per cent of households rent, according to the US Census Bureau; FEMA states that renters can buy contents-only flood cover and that a landlord's policy does not cover their belongings. A new flood policy normally takes 30 days to take effect. Whether a particular loss is covered is decided by your insurer and your policy wording.
Common questions
Does Dumont, NJ flood?
Parts of it do. FEMA counts 142 flood insurance claims in Dumont, more from Hurricane Ida than any other storm. The mapped flood zone is small, 4.60 per cent of the borough's land according to the county plan, so much of the damage has come from intense rain and street flooding.
Which brook floods in Dumont?
FEMA's flood study names Hirschfeld Brook, Hirschfeld Brook Tributary and a tributary to the Oradell Reservoir as Dumont's mapped flood sources. Check the FEMA Flood Map Service Center for your address.
Does Dumont get a flood insurance discount?
Dumont takes part in FEMA's Community Rating System at Class 9, which the county plan says gives a 5 per cent discount to flood policies in the Special Flood Hazard Area. Ask your agent whether it applies to yours.
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