Flooding in Little Ferry, New Jersey: the flood zone, the record, and what to do
Little Ferry has the heaviest flood insurance record in Bergen County relative to its size. This page sets out how much of the borough is mapped as flood-prone, what the claims show, and why the answer lies in the tide and the pumps rather than in the rain.
The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan places 80.3 per cent of Little Ferry's land in the 1 per cent annual chance flood zone. FEMA counts 1,732 National Flood Insurance Program claims for the borough, more than one for every three of its 4,708 homes, and lists 238 repetitive-loss properties. The borough sits behind low berms on the tidal Hackensack and drains through tide gates and pumps, so a flood here depends on the height of the tide and on whether the pumps keep running.
The short version
- The Bergen County hazard mitigation plan puts 80.3 per cent of Little Ferry's land in the 1 per cent annual chance flood zone, the highest of any inhabited town in the county.
- FEMA counts 1,732 flood insurance claims for the borough, 350 of them filed under the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission community.
- Sandy produced about 700 of the claims; FEMA lists 238 repetitive-loss properties as of August 2026.
- Floods come from tidal surge up the Hackensack over berms about five feet high, and drain only as fast as the pumps run.
- The Liberty Street pump station is under construction through Rebuild by Design Meadowlands.
Four-fifths of the borough is in the flood zone
Table 4.6-1 of the Bergen County 2026 Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan puts 859.58 of Little Ferry's 1,070.41 acres, or 80.3 per cent, inside the FEMA 1 per cent annual chance flood zone. Adding the 0.2 per cent annual chance zone takes the figure to 83.9 per cent. No inhabited municipality in the county has a higher share. The state's own Strategic Recovery Planning Report for the borough, written after Sandy against a different map edition, put it higher still at 94 per cent, about 1,004 acres, mapped as flood hazard area from the Hackensack River, Losen Slote Creek and the Riser Ditch. The county plan lists the whole borough, not just portions, as exposed to coastal flooding from the Hackensack.
What the claim record shows
FEMA files Little Ferry's flood insurance claims in two places. Most, 1,382, sit under the borough's own NFIP community; another 350 from ZIP 07643 are filed under the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission community, giving 1,732 in all. (The borough's hub page on this site quotes a ZIP-based count of 1,750, a slightly different measure.) Of the claims under the borough's own community, 701 date from 2012 and 699 are tied to Hurricane Sandy. Irene accounts for 249, a December 1992 nor'easter for 104 and Hurricane Ida for 82. FEMA's multiple-loss records, as of 2 August 2026, list 238 repetitive-loss properties, 10 of them severe repetitive loss; the state report counted 159 in January 2013, mostly south of Route 46 and east of Franklin Street. The county plan shows 531 active NFIP policies in the borough in October 2024, against 4,708 housing units counted by the US Census Bureau.
Why the water arrives: tide, not rain
FEMA's Flood Insurance Study notes that Sandy brought less than 2 inches of rain to Bergen County. The damage came from the sea. The state recovery report describes storm-driven water rising at Newark Bay and pushing up the Hackensack River, overtopping berms along the river that stand about five feet above sea level. Those berms were built by the mosquito commission to keep standing water off low ground, not as flood defences, and FEMA's study adds that the berm at the southern boundary is neither uniform in height nor continuous. During Sandy floodwater south of Route 46 stood three to four feet deep, and the report records up to nine feet along inland areas there. Once the water was over the berms, the same berms held it in, creating what the report calls a bathtub effect until it could be pumped out.
A borough that depends on pumps
Little Ferry's flood strategy, in the words of its recovery report, is to collect water and pump it into the Hackensack. Pump stations sit where Losen Slote Creek meets the river, at Willow Lake Park, on Main Street and at several smaller locations. The Losen Slote station, which serves more homes than any other, has three 150 horsepower pumps, but the report found debris clogging them during storms. The station that replaced a century-old wooden tide gate came on line in July 1999, and the state credits it with sparing homes in Hurricane Floyd that September. Power is the weak point. The Willow Lake station failed when the electricity went in both Irene and Sandy, leaving the area around the lake, including the volunteer first aid and fire companies, under water for days while the rest of the borough was dry. Loss of power at the Main Street station prolonged Sandy's flooding.
What is being built
Little Ferry is one of five municipalities in the state's Rebuild by Design Meadowlands programme. In October 2023 the Department of Community Affairs announced the start of construction of the Liberty Street pump station and force main, together with removal of a disused tide gate foundation that restricts flow in Losen Slote Creek. The work targets rainfall drainage, not a Sandy-sized surge. The borough also takes part in FEMA's Community Rating System at Class 7, which the county plan lists as a 15 per cent discount on NFIP premiums inside the flood zone. Looking ahead, the state report's sea level rise maps show neighbourhoods affected with one foot of rise and most of the area south of Route 46 inundated with three, and the county plan estimates 69 per cent of the borough's critical facilities would be exposed with three feet.
What this means if you own or rent here
Assume the flood zone applies to you and confirm it on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. For a warning, watch the coastal flood and surge forecasts for the Hackensack and the timing of high tide; a modest rain on a high tide can do more here than a downpour at low water. If the power fails, water may stand until the pumps restart, so keep furnaces, panels and valuables above the level your street has reached before. Flood is a separate policy from homeowners insurance, and FEMA states that a new policy normally takes effect 30 days after purchase. With 54 per cent of homes rented, according to the US Census Bureau, many residents need their own contents cover, because a landlord's policy protects the building, not a tenant's belongings. Whether a particular loss is covered is decided by your insurer and your policy wording.
Common questions
Does Little Ferry, NJ flood?
Yes. About 80 per cent of the borough is in the FEMA high-risk flood zone according to the county hazard mitigation plan, and FEMA records 1,732 flood insurance claims there.
Why does Little Ferry stay flooded after the storm passes?
Because the borough drains through tide gates and pumps. Berms that let the surge in also hold it in, and when the electricity fails the pump stations stop. The state recovery report records the Willow Lake station failing in both Irene and Sandy.
Why are some Little Ferry claims listed under the Meadowlands Commission?
FEMA files some Meadowlands claims under a separate New Jersey Meadowlands Commission community: 350 for ZIP 07643, on top of the borough's own 1,382.
Is anything being done about it?
The Liberty Street pump station and force main are being built under Rebuild by Design Meadowlands, and an old tide gate foundation is being removed from Losen Slote Creek.
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