Flooding in the City of Passaic, New Jersey: the record, the rivers, and what to do
This page covers the City of Passaic, not Passaic County. It is a dense, old city where three in four households rent, and its worst recent flood came not from the river but from small brooks that run mostly out of sight.
The City of Passaic lies on the tidal stretch of the Passaic River below Dundee Dam, and is crossed by Weasel Brook and McDonald's Brook, much of it in culverts. FEMA counts 160 National Flood Insurance Program claims in the city, led by Hurricane Irene and the remnants of Ida, and lists 10 repetitive-loss properties. Ida was deadly here. With the US Census Bureau estimating that 76.2 per cent of households rent, the most important flood question in Passaic is who insures what, and what a landlord has to tell a tenant.
The short version
- FEMA records 160 National Flood Insurance Program claims in the City of Passaic, led by Hurricane Irene (47) and Ida (34).
- FEMA lists 10 repetitive-loss properties in the city, 3 of them severe repetitive-loss, as of 2 August 2026.
- The EPA describes the Passaic River from Newark Bay to Dundee Dam, the stretch along the city, as tidal.
- FEMA's flood study names Weasel Brook and McDonald's Brook as local flood sources; Ida floodwater near the brooks was deadly.
- The US Census Bureau estimates 76.2 per cent of households rent; a landlord's flood policy does not cover tenants' belongings, according to FEMA.
The claim record, and what it leaves out
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program claims data for Passaic County records 160 lifetime flood claims in the City of Passaic. By named event, FEMA attributes 47 to Hurricane Irene, 34 to the remnants of Ida, 17 to Hurricane Sandy and 17 to Hurricane Floyd. By year of loss, 2011 leads with 52 claims. FEMA's multiple-loss records, as of 2 August 2026, class 10 properties in the city as repetitive-loss, 3 of them severe repetitive-loss. Those numbers are modest for a city the US Census Bureau puts at 70,002 people in 21,693 homes, but claims only count buildings and belongings that carried a flood policy. In a city where most households rent, any tenant or owner without a flood policy is missing from the record, so it is a partial picture of who actually got wet.
A tidal river at the city's edge
Passaic sits just downstream of Dundee Dam. The US Environmental Protection Agency describes the 17 miles of river from Newark Bay up to Dundee Dam as the tidal portion of the Passaic, which means the river along the city is affected by tides as well as by rain upstream. It is also one of only three Passaic County municipalities where Sandy appears among the top four flood events in the FEMA claims data. The nearest National Weather Service forecast point is the Passaic River at Clifton, at Dundee Dam, where minor flood stage is 4.5 feet, moderate 6 feet and major 7 feet. Irene reached 5.9 feet there in August 2011, against an 8.4-foot record from 1903. Its NWS impact statements name streets in Garfield, Elmwood Park and Paterson but none in the City of Passaic.
Weasel Brook, McDonald's Brook and Ida
FEMA's Flood Insurance Study for Passaic County says the city experiences additional flooding from Weasel Brook and McDonald's Brook (spelled MacDonald Brook in the study), generally in low-lying areas next to them. Ida showed how dangerous that can be. CBS New York reported on 2 September 2021 that a 70-year-old Clifton man drowned when floodwater overtook his car in Passaic, while his wife and son were rescued, and that two young adults were swept into a brook near Benson Court after leaving their car at Benson and Main Avenue. In January 2026 the office of Representative Nellie Pou announced FEMA funding for repairs and rebuilding around McDonald's Brook after Ida. Flash flooding from a culverted brook gives no warning from any river gauge.
What the city has planned
FEMA's Flood Insurance Study reproduces the mitigation actions the city listed in the 2010 Passaic County hazard mitigation plan: stream bank stabilisation and augmentation along the Passaic River, a code update, backup power, and elevation or floodproofing of four repetitive-loss properties. The same study notes that the City of Passaic takes part in clearing debris from streams after significant storms. The county's 2025 hazard mitigation plan, approved by the State and FEMA, is the place to look for current projects.
Renters and landlords: who is responsible for what
The US Census Bureau estimates that 76.2 per cent of Passaic households rent, and puts the median year built of the city's housing at 1938, the joint oldest of any Passaic County municipality. FEMA states that a landlord's flood policy covers the building and not the tenant's belongings, and that standard renters insurance typically excludes flood. Tenants can buy a contents-only policy through the National Flood Insurance Program, but FEMA limits contents cover in a basement apartment to a few items such as a washer, dryer and freezer. Whether a given loss is paid is decided by the insurer under the policy. New Jersey's flood disclosure law, P.L.2023, c.93, requires most landlords to give a written Flood Risk Notice before a lease is signed or renewed, saying whether the property is in a FEMA flood zone and whether it has flooded or had pooled water before. Buildings of two units or fewer, and owner-occupied buildings of three or fewer, are exempt, so tenants in two-family houses should ask directly. Where a covered landlord fails to disclose a mapped flood zone, the law lets the tenant end the lease, and where flooding then damages a tenant's belongings or makes the home unliveable, the tenant may pursue legal remedies.
What this means if you own or rent here
If you rent, ask your landlord for the state Flood Risk Notice, photograph your belongings now, and decide on a contents policy well before storm season, because FEMA applies a 30-day wait before a new policy takes effect. If you own a building, look it up on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, give every tenant the notice, and keep stored property off the basement floor. In a cloudburst, the danger in Passaic is fast water in streets and underpasses near the brooks, not only the river: never walk or drive into moving or deep water, keep away from culvert openings, and treat water in a basement as an electrical hazard until the power is confirmed off.
Common questions
Does my landlord have to tell me about flooding in Passaic?
Usually, yes. New Jersey requires landlords to give a written Flood Risk Notice before a lease is signed or renewed, covering FEMA flood zone status and any known flooding or pooled water. Buildings with two or fewer units, and owner-occupied buildings with three or fewer, are exempt.
Will renters insurance pay for flood damage?
FEMA says a standard renters policy typically does not cover flood, and a landlord's flood policy covers only the building. A separate contents-only flood policy is available to renters through the National Flood Insurance Program. What any policy pays is decided by the insurer.
Which gauge covers the City of Passaic?
The nearest National Weather Service forecast point is the Passaic River at Clifton, at Dundee Dam, where minor flood stage is 4.5 feet and major 7 feet. It does not measure the brooks.
Is my Passaic address in a flood zone?
Check it on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov. Brook and drain flooding can reach streets outside it.
Find out who to call
Answer a few questions about what happened. You get the safety steps and the right trade whether or not you leave contact details.
Two referral lines cover this area. We have not vetted an individual company, and we will not route you to one whose coverage and registration we have not checked.
A pipe, water heater, sump pump or drain
Something inside the building failed and the water needs stopping.
Storm water, flooding or a soaked building
Water came in from outside, or the structure is wet and needs drying.
Not sure which you have? Answer a few questions and we will tell you. These are referral lines: they connect you to a company in the network, not to one this site operates or has inspected.
We are a free matching service, not a restoration contractor. Calls and requests are connected to independent providers.