County OEM to Participate in Flood Mitigation Program

COURT HOUSE – Cape May County Emergency Management Director Martin Pagliughi announced that his office will lead a County effort to provide potential relief for more than 300 Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL) properties throughout the County.  The Cape May County Office of Emergency Management will gauge interest among municipal officials throughout the County in order to prepare a regional grant application to provide relief to these properties.  The application will be made through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Flood Mitigation Assistance Program.
“We intend to communicate directly with municipal officials who have repetitive loss properties in their communities in advance of making a county-wide grant application through this program”, Pagliughi said.  “It is our responsibility to explore every opportunity possible to help reduce or eliminate the risk of flood damage to buildings when, and not if, the next flooding event occurs in our county”.
The Flood Mitigation Assistance program through FEMA provides 100% funding that can be used to either elevate or potentially acquire Severe Repetitive Loss properties.  It is the County’s intentions to prioritize structures that may be elevated in order to prevent future damage from flooding.
Freeholder Director Gerald M. Thornton, liaison to the County Office of Emergency Management, added, “FEMA Region 2 has identified more than 300 Severe Repetitive Loss properties in Cape May County, largely in barrier island communities.  North Wildwood, Ocean City, and West Wildwood each have 60 properties that have been identified, as of July 31, 2015”.
Funds are provided through this program on an annual basis; this year’s grant application period is March, 2016.  The Cape May County Office of Emergency Management will communicate with municipal officials and intends to make an application with the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management which will review the application for eligibility.  The State Hazard Mitigation Team will prioritize all eligible Flood Mitigation Assistance applications before the request is submitted to FEMA for consideration. 
Municipal officials will be invited to participate in a conference call this month to gather information about this initiative.