Township Encourages Bayfront Residents to Attend FEMA Meeting

COURT HOUSE – Middle Township officials are encouraging property owners who live near the coastline of the Delaware Bay to attend a special meeting on Nov. 1, at 6:00 p.m. Officials will discuss the latest flood maps issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and how they impact coastal properties on the western side of Middle Township, and other communities. The meeting will be held at the Lower Township Municipal Hall located at 2600 Bayshore Road in Villas. This meeting was rescheduled due a postponement of the original meeting caused by the federal government shutdown.
“We have successfully worked with our neighboring communities in order to bring FEMA representatives to the table to offer our property owners answers relating to these complex flood maps”, said Middle Township Mayor Dan Lockwood. “FEMA had provided advisory flood maps for ocean front communities, but did not do so for bay front communities including Middle Township and Lower Township. Recently pre-firm maps were released for our communities. It’s time for federal officials to engage in dialogue with our coastal residents to address questions regarding their specific properties as they relate to these maps”.
Various FEMA representatives will be on hand to review the latest flood maps with residents so they can locate their properties and ask questions about how the new flood maps and coastal zones designations affect their flood insurance premiums. The latest maps released by FEMA have placed properties in Velocity Zones or “V-Zones” which carry the risk of additional flood insurance premiums.
In July 2012, the U.S. Congress passed the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) which calls on the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other agencies, to make a number of changes to the way the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is run. Some of these changes already have occurred, and others will be implemented in the coming months. Key provisions of the legislation will require the NFIP to raise rates to reflect true flood risk, make the program more financially stable, and change how Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) updates impact policyholders. The changes will mean premium rate increases for some—but not all—policyholders over time. Homeowners and business owners are encouraged to learn their flood risk and talk to their insurance agent to determine if their policy will be impacted by BW-12.
Among those expected to represent FEMA at the meeting include Mark Rollins and Patrick Holloway, risk map outreach specials, along with Jack Jennings, a NFIP specialist.