The Record presents a look into the history of flooding and the ongoing flooding in the North Jersey area, featuring both historic and contemporary photographs.

A natural disaster that’s been exacerbated by development, flooding has become so chronic that some residents have come to expect deluged basements, evacuations and visits from insurance adjusters every spring. In the last five years alone, the region has endured three of the costliest floods on record, amassing an estimated $2 billion in damages. Eleven floods since 1968 have prompted federal disaster declarations, including ones in 2007 and 2010. Heavy rains in 2011 wrought more destruction, leaving some neighborhoods under chest-high water. Federal and state officials have spent decades looking for solutions.