FEMA Officials Discuss New Maps with Lower

VILLAS—Nearly 200 concerned homeowners from Middle and Lower Township attended an informational meeting with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials on Nov. 1 at Township Hall. The meeting was held in response to recently released flood maps that alter previous designated flood zones. The preliminary work maps, which are a source of confusion for many, have also placed a number of residents in the dreaded V Zones.
Lower Township Mayor Michael Beck acknowledged the importance of opposing the preliminary work maps. “This has the potential to really hurt our town so we’re in this for the long haul,” Beck said. Following the meeting, Beck explained that he and council would reflect on the information from the panel and the public and then make a decision about how to proceed.
Hurricane Sandy made landfall on Oct. 29, 2012, becoming the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history. According to FEMA, over 650,000 homes in New Jersey were damaged, with more than 40,000 sustaining “major damage.” As a result, homeowners in the state have been tasked with repairing or rebuilding. For some the financial burden is too much to overcome, especially when new guidelines require expensive improvements and/or skyrocketing flood insurance premiums. The ban on federal aid for second homeowners is also making it difficult, if not impossible, for some residents to rebuild.
According to representative Mark Rollins, in 2008 Congress tasked FEMA with updating the flood maps in areas all across the country. These revisions would take approximately five years to complete. While the study was underway, Congress passed the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act in July of 2012. Biggert-Waters, which has nothing to do with the remapping, removes subsidies in an effort to make the National Flood Insurance Program more financially stable while reflecting an area’s true flood risk. Later that year, Hurricane Sandy hit and impacted thousands of people along the state’s coast. With their homes damaged or destroyed, those affected needed help right away.
With the remapping study still incomplete, FEMA needed to give residents who were devastated by Sandy some guidelines on how to rebuild. As a result, FEMA released Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE) maps. “If Sandy had not have hit, we would not have had a reason to release where we were in the study for people who had to rebuild right away,” explained Rollins. “People needed to have some guidance on how to rebuild. That’s subsequently what the ABFEs were about.”
Flash forward to Sept. 18. Cape May County received their preliminary work maps, the result of the completed FEMA mapping study. These maps, which replaced the ABFE maps, are supposed to help property owners understand their current flood risk. After their release, the public and local officials have the opportunity to dispute any areas they feel are incorrectly mapped. Once all involved have come to an agreement on the appropriateness of the preliminary work maps, the preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) go into development.
Jeff Gangai, a technical contractor and coastal engineer with RAMPP (Risk Assessment, Mapping, and Planning Partners), worked extensively with FEMA on the remapping study. Gangai explained to the public that there was still work to be done. “This information has no impact to your flood insurance rates,” said Gangai. “It’s not the regulatory product yet, just preliminary draft mapping, that we want to go over with the communities. We want your feedback.”
Dr. Stewart Farrell, a professor at Stockton College, has been retained by the townships to review the maps and provide his expert opinion. While he had only a short time to review the information, he said he was confident that the preliminary work maps would see changes.
Once the presentation was complete, members of the public approached the panel with their concerns. Many residents were worried about their new elevations and if they would have to raise their homes. FEMA officials offered to speak one-on-one with the public to address their specific questions.
Beck said another meeting would be scheduled if necessary, but in the meantime he advised residents to visit with their local administrators to discuss their elevations and any concerns they had with the new maps. For more information, or to see your property’s placement on the preliminary work maps, visit www.Region2Coastal.com.
To contact Kirby Reed, email kreed@cmcherald.com.