Flooding in Mountainside? (house, live, property)

[FakeEastCoaster]

We're looking at a house in Mountainside, and I was surprised to see it in a flood zone, based on the FEMA maps. It isn't near any significant body of water, but apparently the FEMA shows that there's a puddle there. The house is a little north of Route 22. Does that sound right? It says only one percent chance of flooding per year, but when it comes to flooding, one percent is one percent too much.

For those who are familiar in the area, does Mountainside flood? If it does, is it because of water runoff from higher ground? Or maybe poor drainage during storms? I'm kinda scratching my head on this one. Thanks.

[nybbler]

There's three sets of flood zones north of Rt 22 in Mountainside, two of them associated with obvious creeks. The other one is associated with another feeder for the Nomahegan, marked "Branch 3" on the flood maps; it's probably been buried, though some of the bed still shows up in topographical maps.

You can see it in this old map, between the "r" and the "o" in "Locust Grove"

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/...field-1899.jpg

The FEMA maps note the floodway is very narrow; it's possible the house itself isn't in the zone even if part of the property is.

[Ninasimonejr]

My husband spent the first 18 years of his life there and we visit regularly. He says it never floods.

But I have lived in another place that was considered a flood zone even though there was zero chance of flooding. (A section of Weehawken perched hundreds of feet above the Hudson R. There are parts of Weehawken right on the water but we werent in one of them, nevertheless, Liberty Mutual would not insure us.)