Flooding in Midland Park, New Jersey: the flood zone, the record, and what to do
Midland Park is a compact borough on the upper Goffle Brook, and on paper it is one of the drier places in this corner of Bergen County. The record bears that out, with a few caveats that matter more for tenants and basement owners than for anyone living by the brook.
The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan puts 4.32 per cent of Midland Park in the FEMA one per cent annual chance flood zone. FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program has recorded 22 claims in the borough, and two properties are on the repetitive-loss list. The mapped flooding follows Goffle Brook, which runs south through the borough from Wyckoff. More than a quarter of households rent, so the question of who insures what is a real one here.
The short version
- The Bergen County 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan puts 4.32 per cent of Midland Park in the one per cent flood zone, 6.61 per cent including the 0.2 per cent zone.
- FEMA records 22 NFIP claims in the borough and two repetitive-loss properties, one of them severe.
- Goffle Brook, which rises in Wyckoff and runs on to Ridgewood and Hawthorne, is the mapped flood source.
- The borough has upgraded bridges and culverts since 2021 and plans floodway clearing.
- About 27 per cent of households rent; a landlord's policy does not cover a tenant's belongings.
Goffle Brook and a thin flood zone
Table 4.6-1 of the county plan gives Midland Park 43.71 acres of FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area in 1,012.16 acres of land, which is 4.32 per cent; adding the 0.2 per cent annual chance zone brings it to 6.61 per cent. Only Wyckoff, next door, has a smaller share in this part of the county. The flood source is Goffle Brook, a small stream that rises at Goffle Pond in Wyckoff and flows south through Midland Park and Ridgewood before reaching the Passaic River in Hawthorne. FEMA's countywide flood study works out Goffle Brook's flood flows in Midland Park by scaling them from the Ridgewood boundary downstream. Midland Park's original flood study was published in September 1977.
The claim record
FEMA's OpenFEMA data show 22 National Flood Insurance Program claims for Midland Park over the life of the programme. The most were in 1999 and 2011, five each, with two each in 2021 and 2013. By event, FEMA attributes 5 claims to Hurricane Floyd, 4 to Hurricane Irene, 2 to Hurricane Ida and 1 to late winter storms. As of 2 August 2026, FEMA's multiple-loss data list two repetitive-loss properties, one of them in the severe category, which suggests the same couple of buildings account for a noticeable part of the total. The county plan counts 16 active flood policies in October 2024, against 3,040 housing units in the US Census Bureau's estimates.
Heavy rain, and what the borough has changed
Midland Park's weather station turns up in the county plan's storm record: it logged 5.25 inches during Hurricane Carol in 1954, the highest total in the state for that storm, and 3.25 inches in the October 2010 storm that closed roads in Ridgewood. In a small, built-up catchment, rain like that reaches the brook quickly and tests every bridge and culvert along it. The borough's own entry in the 2026 plan says that since 2021 it has upgraded bridges and culverts to improve streamflow and strengthened backup power at critical facilities, and that floodway clearing is among its priorities for the next five years. A narrow channel clear of debris is more likely to keep water in the brook and out of yards.
Renters and older buildings
The US Census Bureau puts the renter share in Midland Park at about 27 per cent, the highest of the neighbouring boroughs on the upper Ho-Ho-Kus and Goffle brooks, and the median year built at 1953. Apartments in older buildings, especially garden-level and basement units, are where water damage most often lands on a tenant rather than an owner. A landlord's insurance covers the building, not the tenant's furniture, clothes or electronics. FEMA states that renters in a participating community can buy flood cover for their contents, with limits on what is covered in a basement. Whether a particular loss is covered is decided by the insurer and the policy wording.
What this means if you own or rent here
Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. If it is beside Goffle Brook, keep an eye on the channel near you and report blockages to the borough before a storm, not after. If it is not, which is the case for most of the borough, the water you are likely to meet comes from groundwater, overloaded drains and runoff against the foundation. Gutters, downspouts, grading and a working sump pump with backup power are the practical defences. Owners should read their homeowners policy for sewer backup and seepage wording. Tenants should keep belongings off the floor of any basement or ground-level unit, consider contents cover of their own, and report any water to the landlord in writing, with photos, the day it appears.
Common questions
Does Midland Park, NJ flood?
Not often. FEMA has recorded 22 flood insurance claims in the borough, mostly from Floyd in 1999 and Irene in 2011, and the county plan maps only 4.32 per cent of its land in the one per cent flood zone, along Goffle Brook.
Where does Goffle Brook go after Midland Park?
South through Ridgewood and into Hawthorne in Passaic County, where it joins the Passaic River. FEMA's flood study treats it as one stream across all three towns.
Can I get flood insurance as a renter in Midland Park?
Yes. FEMA states that renters in a National Flood Insurance Program participating community can buy contents cover, and that a landlord's policy does not cover tenants' belongings. Basement contents are limited, and a new policy normally takes 30 days to start.
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