Want to Elevate Your Home?

CAPE MAY – Cape May and Lower Township will join forces on Monday, September 9 to educate area residents on the funding options available to them should they decide to elevate their home following Hurricane Sandy. The presentation will begin at 6 p.m. at Township Hall in Villas.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program will award up to $30,000 to qualifying residents, said Mayor Edward J. Mahaney, Jr. during council’s work session on September 3. According to FEMA’s website, the program provides grants to states and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration.
FEMA’s preliminary work maps, released last week, resulted in a reduction in V zones. V zones are coastal areas with a 1 percent or greater chance of flooding and an additional hazard associated with storm waves.
According to Mahaney, of the properties that were adjusted from the FEMA advisory maps to the preliminary maps, 53 properties went from the V zone to the A zone, and one property went from the A zone to the V zone. If a homeowner has a concern about the new maps and their home’s designation on them, they are encouraged to get in touch with the city’s construction office.
“In Cape May County, the amount of money that’s been allocated by the state, county by county, has shown that in our county, less than one third of the money has been applied for,” said Mahaney. Homes that reside in the lowest lying areas, and were damaged by Hurricane Sandy will be given the highest priority, but Mahaney encouraged all homeowners looking to make improvements to apply.
“Your home does not have to have been damaged by Hurricane Sandy,” said Mahaney. “It would be a shame to leave that money on the table when we worked so hard to get it.”
In order to apply for funding, the home must be the primary residence and you must have owned and lived in the home on the day of the storm, October 29, 2012. Mahaney cautioned that there are no guarantees the $30,000 would be awarded, or that it would cover the entire costs associated with elevating a home.
“The opportunity is out there,” said Mahaney. “If you were thinking of doing something, we’ve asked you to hold off, but now is the time to act. The deadline (to apply) is September 15, so go to this meeting and put your application in.”