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Rebuilding for the future: advice for towns after Sandy

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Listen up, New Jersey municipal officials.

In superstorm Sandy's aftermath, a group of New Jersey flood experts recommends that you take several steps to reduce losses of life and property damage in future floods.

A New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management leader made these recommendations in a Jan. 10 letter to the New Jersey State League of Municipalities' executive director:

- Substantial damage: Municipal "substantial damage declarations" - when at least 50 percent of a structure is damaged - are tough when homeowners are suffering. It's important that declarations reflect the full scope of damage so appropriate mitigation (and funding) is available for more sustainable reconstruction. In some cases, there is a tendency to underestimate damages to lessen the impact on property owners. But that may cost homeowners in the future as floodplain elevations and zones will change and noncompliant structures will be hit with exorbitantly high flood insurance premiums - frequently more than double today's costs. Now is the best time to make your community resilient to future storms. FEMA’s Substantial Damage calculation procedure takes the subjectivity out of the assessment.

- Mitigation grants: Pending are more than $500 million in mitigation funds that will help communities adapt to coastal and inland flood risks. Check with your municipal emergency management coordinator on how to submit Letters of Intent to apply for mitigation grants.

- Advisory Base Flood Elevation maps: Municipalities are strongly encouraged to adopt FEMA’s maps, which have new flood elevations and zones. Given the extent of rebuilding, and with new maps to be adopted in 2014, it's in everyone’s best interest to rebuild using the best available data that supersedes studies that are 30 years old. Reconstruction following the ABFEs will ensure safer structures in the future and result in significantly lower flood insurance premiums. Questions on the ABFEs can be addressed by NJDEP Flood Control. Communities should consider adding 2 feet of freeboard (resulting in structures that are 2 feet higher) above the ABFE elevations. According to a 2006 FEMA study, the costs of adopting freeboard on new structures is minimal, typically adding between 0.25 percent to 1.5 percent to total construction costs for each extra foot of elevation. Overall, the benefits for freeboard outweigh the costs. For homeowners, this generally results in a minor increase in monthly mortgage payments. But the resulting monthly savings on flood insurance premiums usually exceeds the additional mortgage cost. Ultimately, freeboard protects homeowners and first responders, and saves money.

- Community Rating System points: Communities that participate in the FEMA Community Rating System, the premium discount program under the National Flood Insurance Program, and adopt the Advisory Base Flood Elevations are eligible for 300 points.

- Check the New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management website for information on Hurricane Sandy or call the group's hot line - 609-203-8935 - if you have questions.

What do you think of these recommendations?

Meanwhile, FEMA has posted an "Advisory Base Flood Elevations (ABFE) Toolkit for Property Owners."

What do you think of the ABFEs?

Addendum: My colleague, Jean Mikle, received an email from Neptune regarding a FEMA webinar on "Post Disaster Floodplain Management: What Communities Need to Know NOW."

To read it, look for "Just Released Jan. 11: Sandy Post Disaster Webinar" on the Neptune website. And thanks Jean!


A severely flood-damaged home in Sea Bright on Dec. 27, 2012 (file photo by Mary Frank)

 

Another severely flood-damaged home in Union Beach on Nov. 6, 2012 (file photo by Tanya Breen)


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