Silent Crisis Threatens New Beverly Hills as Contagion Spreads Across East Coast

One of the wealthiest counties in the US is facing a mass exodus thanks to rising sea levels causing frequent flooding to luxury homes. 

Bergen County in New Jersey, just a hop across the Hudson River from Manhattan, stands out with a median income of $110,000, considerably higher than the national average of $69,000.

Home prices in this East Coast county are no joke, with a median value of $710,000, as per Redfin. The county’s property market includes some of New Jersey’s priciest multimillion-dollar mansions.

Alpine, a borough in Bergen County, is a prime example of luxury living, earning the nickname ‘the Beverly Hills of New Jersey’ for its upscale riverside location.

Celebrities including Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, Kellyanne Conway and Britney Spears have all lived in the affluent vacation spot. 

But a silent crisis has been lapping against the shores of the rich and famous in the form of rising river levels, which are increasingly triggering devastating floods. 

A jaw-dropping new report from Lending Tree named Bergen County the area most at risk of flooding in the entire US.

Lending Tree insurance agent Rob Bhatt told the Daily Mail the analysis company’s ‘National Risk Index’ assigned Bergen County a score of 100/100 for ‘very high’ risk. 

One of the wealthiest counties in the US is facing a mass exodus thanks to rising sea levels causing frequent flooding to luxury homes

Comedian and Bergen County resident Tracy Morgan (pictured)

The region is also home to Alpine (pictured), a borough that occupies much of the riverside in the ritzy enclave and has been dubbed ‘the Beverly Hills of New Jersey’ 

Pictured: A flooded street in a residential area after the Saddle River spilled into Lodi, New Jersey, causing flooding in some homes, prompting evacuations on Jan. 10, 2024

He said this is due to a perfect storm of environmental factors – including Bergen County’s proximity to the Hudson, Passaic and Saddle rivers, which frequently breach their banks partly due to rising sea levels. 

‘An increase in severe storms and rising sea levels are driving Bergen County’s flood risks,’ Bhatt told the Daily Mail. ‘But there are also other factors at play. 

Lending Tree insurance agent Rob Bhatt

‘The lack of existing storm-water infrastructure and the high cost of new flood mitigation projects have made it hard for the county to keep up.’ 

Lending Tree’s analysis shows this is likely to have a devastating impact on home prices in the area. 

‘Homes in flood-prone areas are likely to see a loss in value over time,’ Bhatt said.

‘The threat of continual home repairs and high insurance premiums can cause reluctance amongst homebuyers.’

Bhatt added that a recent survey by his firm laid bare the dire situation – with 38 percent of homeowners saying they consider coastal properties to be ‘uninhabitable’ in the long term due to the severity of the flooding crisis. 

A whopping 34 percent of people living in at-risk locations like Bergen County are considering moving, while 13 percent have already relocated, according to the poll.

Chris Rock (pictured) owns a property in Bergen County

Pictured: Chris Rock’s property in the area’s expensive Alpine neighborhood

Housing in the East Coast county is among the most expensive in the state, with a median home price of $710,000, according to Redfin

A home in Alpine, New Jersey 

The survey of 2,000 people in March also found that 57 percent of people would be willing to pay extra for a home in a climate-safe zone.    

Local realtor Sonni Polifroni told the Daily Mail that property flood risk is a top consideration for Bergen County buyers.

‘Bergen County is certainly seeing more rainfall and buyers are always asking (and looking, smelling) to see if the home, or [its] basement, gets water,’ she said. 

‘Buyers always like to see sump pumps and French drains in houses.’ 

Though, she added that Bergen County is still highly desirable for people who can afford to mitigate potential flooding, and those who love the area enough to risk it. 

‘It’s the best of both worlds – to have the suburban space and also be in NYC within 30 to 45 minutes,’ Polifroni said. 

‘Many schools in Bergen County are ranked highly, plus it has an incredible and diverse food scene’. 

In fact, despite the population decline, Bergen County homes commonly sell for ‘at least 10 percent over’ the listing price, according to Polifroni. 

‘In the last week alone, two houses that my clients have offered on have had between 15 and 25 [percent above list] offers,’ she said. 

Pictured: Rionda’s Tower and Historical Marker at The Esplanade, along with nearby mansions in Alpine, New Jersey. Celebrities including Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, Kellyanne Conway and Britney Spears have all lived in the vacation spot in recent years

Pictured: Lodi’s flooding in January 2024

Areas of Bergen County like Lodi are continually hit by floods amid increasingly severe storms

Melissa McKinney (pictured), who works at Bergen County Boys and Girls Club, said the community clubhouse has been devastated by floods several times in recent years

Experts have warned that, currently, more than 20 percent of properties in the region are in danger of suffering devastating floods. 

Some 35,265 structures are ‘at risk’, according to First Street analysis – this figure is projected to rise (along with water levels) to 38,152 over the next 30 years. 

A map shared by Climate Central shows the alarming percentage of the county anticipated to be below the annual flooding level by 2040.

Melissa McKinney, who works at Bergen County Boys and Girls Club, said the community clubhouse has been devastated by flooding several times in recent years.

‘We have had a lot of flood damage,’ McKinney, the club’s director of resource development, told the Daily Mail.

‘The families of the kids we serve are often impacted as well.

‘We have had to take flood mitigation measures dozens of times to continually keep water out.’ 

McKinney said those measures include installing flood-proof doors.

A map shared by Climate Central shows the alarming percentage of the county that is anticipated to be below the annual flooding level by 2040 (in red). Pictured above is a zoomed-in look at Bergen County on the map

Pictured: Kellyanne Conway, who owns a house in Bergen County

Conway’s Alpine, New Jersey, home (pictured). It is unclear if the house was a point of contention in Conway’s divorce from husband George T. Conway III

The former couple purchased the home for $6 million in 2007

Located beside the Saddle River, the community clubhouse is supported by FEMA funding as it often bears the brunt of the storms, McKinney said. 

Governor Phil Murphy staged a press conference from the clubhouse as one of the worst-impacted places in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in 2021.

New Jersey has the highest expected annual losses from coastal flooding across the US, according to Lending Tree. It predicts a $682,436 economic loss per 10,000 residents. 

While it’s an area hit hardest, the Garden State isn’t alone in its flooding woes. The issue is impacting dozens of other states across the country as the climate crisis intensifies and kicks off more extreme weather systems globally.