Flooding in Totowa, New Jersey: the record, the rivers, and what to do
Totowa is small, but its flood insurance record is not. For a borough of about 11,000 people, FEMA has paid out on a striking number of flood claims, almost all of them in a handful of river storms.
The Passaic River separates Totowa from Woodland Park on its way from Little Falls to Paterson, and FEMA places the borough's flooding on the low ground beside it. FEMA counts 550 National Flood Insurance Program claims in Totowa, against 3,980 homes counted by the US Census Bureau, and lists 49 repetitive-loss properties. Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999 account for most of the record. This page sets out what the gauges, FEMA and the county mitigation plan say, and what follows for owners and renters.
The short version
- FEMA records 550 National Flood Insurance Program claims in Totowa, against 3,980 homes counted by the US Census Bureau.
- Hurricane Irene accounts for 219 claims and Hurricane Floyd for 104, according to FEMA.
- FEMA lists 49 repetitive-loss properties in Totowa, 9 of them severe repetitive-loss, as of 2 August 2026.
- FEMA's flood study puts the borough's river flooding in the low-lying areas near Totowa Road and Holy Sepulcher Cemetery.
- The nearest NWS forecast gauge, the Passaic at Little Falls, crested at 14.19 feet after Irene; major flood stage there is 9 feet.
A big claim record for a small borough
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program claims data for Passaic County records 550 lifetime flood claims in Totowa. The US Census Bureau counts 3,980 housing units in the borough, so the claim total equals roughly one for every seven homes, a far higher ratio than in larger neighbours such as Clifton. The claims are bunched. FEMA attributes 219 to Hurricane Irene, 104 to Hurricane Floyd, 51 to the remnants of Ida and 50 to the April 2007 nor'easter. By year of loss, 2011 leads with 245 claims, then 1999 with 109, 2021 with 55 and 2007 with 53. FEMA's multiple-loss records, as of 2 August 2026, class 49 Totowa properties as repetitive-loss, 9 of them severe repetitive-loss, meaning they have flooded and claimed several times. The housing stock is mid-century: the US Census Bureau puts the median year built at 1958.
Where the water comes from
FEMA's Flood Insurance Study for Passaic County is brief about Totowa. It says the borough is subject to flooding from the Passaic River in the low-lying areas near Totowa Road and Holy Sepulcher Cemetery. It also notes two local streams, Singac Brook and Naachtpunkt Brook, but says limited development along them and steep ground along the Passaic have limited flooding elsewhere in the borough. In other words, the risk in Totowa is not spread evenly. Much of the borough sits on higher ground, while the river flats carry most of the claims. That is why a town-wide statistic says little about any one street, and why the address check described below matters more here than in most places.
Reading the gauges upstream
There is no National Weather Service forecast point in Totowa itself. The nearest are just upstream in Little Falls. At the Passaic River at Little Falls gauge, flood stage is 7 feet, moderate is 8 and major is 9. The highest modern crest there is 14.19 feet on 30 August 2011 after Irene, against a record of 17.5 feet in October 1903. Floyd crested at 9.84 feet on 18 September 1999, and the river reached 10.29 feet on 20 December 2023 and 9.3 feet after Ida in September 2021. A second gauge, the Passaic above Beatties Dam, has a minor flood stage of 11.3 feet and lists crests of 14.1 feet for Irene, 14.0 feet in April 1984 and 12.56 feet in December 2023. The NWS impact statements for Little Falls name streets in Little Falls, Wayne, Hawthorne and Paterson but not Totowa, so residents have to judge from the crest itself. One thing the record does show: Floyd and Ida produced many Totowa claims despite modest crests at Little Falls, so a moderate forecast is not a reason to relax.
What has been done about it
FEMA's Flood Insurance Study reproduces the mitigation actions Totowa listed in the 2010 Passaic County hazard mitigation plan. They include rebuilding and relocating the Williams Street sewer pumping station, rehabilitating and adding a stormwater pump for the Lower Borough area, rebuilding the Riverview pump station, installing an early warning system, studying the route of flooding and the risk of dam failure, and acquiring identified properties. Some acquisitions have happened. News 12 New Jersey reported in November 2016 that four homes on Norwood Terrace were marked for demolition under a flood buyout; that is local news, used here as a backup, and it does not say how many buyouts followed. The county adopted an updated hazard mitigation plan in 2025, and its Totowa section is the place to check for current projects.
Owners, landlords and tenants
The US Census Bureau estimates that 26.4 per cent of Totowa households rent, so most residents here are insuring their own building. A flood policy is separate from homeowners insurance, and FEMA applies a 30-day wait before a new one takes effect, so it cannot be bought once a storm is forecast. Flood policies cover far less in a basement than on the floors above it, so read the basement terms before a flood rather than after. Whether a particular loss is covered is decided by the insurer and the policy. For the quarter of households that rent, FEMA states that a landlord's flood policy does not cover a tenant's belongings, and tenants can buy a contents-only policy of their own. New Jersey law, P.L.2023, c.93, requires landlords of buildings with more than two units, or more than three if owner-occupied, to give a written Flood Risk Notice before a lease is signed or renewed.
What this means if you own or rent here
Start with the address. Look the property up on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, and if it is on the low ground near the river, assume the Irene and Floyd claim counts describe your street. Keep the basement floor clear of anything valuable, have a plan for the car, and watch the Little Falls forecast when a tropical storm or a long spring rain is coming; the crest there arrives a day or more after the rain, which gives time to act. Never walk or drive through moving water, and treat a flooded basement as an electrical hazard until the power is confirmed off. If your property has flooded more than once, ask the borough whether it is on the list for acquisition or elevation in the current county plan.
Common questions
Does Totowa flood?
Parts of it do, repeatedly. FEMA records 550 flood insurance claims in the borough, most from Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999. FEMA's flood study places the river flooding in the low-lying areas near Totowa Road and Holy Sepulcher Cemetery, while steep ground limits flooding elsewhere.
Which gauge should Totowa residents watch?
The National Weather Service forecast for the Passaic River at Little Falls, just upstream. Flood stage there is 7 feet and major flood stage 9 feet. The Irene crest was 14.19 feet and the December 2023 crest 10.29 feet.
Is my Totowa home in a flood zone?
Check the address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov. Because Totowa's risk is concentrated on the river flats, a borough-wide figure says little about any single property.
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