UPDATE: New "Advisory Base Flood Elevations" are now posted to this interactive map. More resources are available on FEMA's ABFE page for New Jersey and New York.
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New maps being released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency Saturday will recommend that residents in flood zones in 10 counties and 194 communities throughout the state consider raising their homes anywhere between one and five feet on average, FEMA officials said Friday.
The maps, part of the agency’s Advisory Base Flood Elevations, are being published online Saturday morning and will likely be used by communities to help establish standards during the rebuilding process following the destruction of Hurricane Sandy.
Although the data used in the storm does not include any relating to Sandy, officials say it best represents the type of flood protection needed during similar storms that have a one percent chance of occurring each year.
Communities and residents that are rebuilding after Sandy are looking for the type of guidance that will lead to stronger, safer, and more resilient buildings going forward, FEMA Risk Analysis Branch Chief Ryan Pietramali said during a Friday afternoon teleconference. This data will provide the first step.
“(We want to) make sure as they begin their recovery they are making informed decisions based on sound science,” he said.
The Advisory Base Flood Elevations, or ABFEs, are the result of an analysis of past storms, changing and more detailed topography, and weather’s impacted on 1,800 miles of coastal, tidal zones.
Pietramali said FEMA has been working on establishing new Flood Insurance Rate Maps for both New Jersey and New York for the past two years, though they aren’t expected until next year as a preliminary draft and officially introduced in 2014. The decision to expedite the release of the ABFEs was done to assist in the rebuilding process moving forward.
This type of report has not been reexamined and readjusted in more than 25 years, officials said.
FEMA officials could not say which towns would be most impacted by the new ABFEs, but did indicate that, on average, flood elevation protection has increased about three and a half feet over current Flood Insurance Rate Maps, or FIRMs. Some towns would even see their expected flood elevation at more than five feet, though which towns fall into that category were not revealed.
The mapping includes three different zones. V Zones are high hazard zones that would be impacted by ocean waves during a one percent storm, like homes along the ocean. A Zones are also high hazard zones, but would only have expectation of significant damage during one percent chance storms. The final zone is the X Zone, which present moderate hazard.
Towns included in the new mapping, as well as the flood risk assessment and relevant flood data can be found on FEMA’s Region2Coastal website in an interactive map beginning Saturday morning. The 10 counties included in the ABFEs are Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Union Counties.
Much has changed over the past 25 years in how flood risk can be measured, Pietramali said. The science of how we understand coastal hazards has become more precise and accurate, which allows FEMA to better assess risk. The result, he said he believes, will be communities that are built stronger and safer.
Residents should know, Pietramali said, that insurance premiums are based on effective flood maps, not on the advisory map. Residents who are required to purchase flood insurance will see their rates rise in January, though he said it’s based on expiring federal regulations, and is not specific to New Jersey.
There might be a silver lining for some residents who are rebuilding and required to purchase flood insurance. The advisory maps being released often represent higher elevations than those presented in flood insurance maps. Building at or above advisory rates could help save money when it comes to paying for insurance, he said.
When it comes to raising your house to the new flood elevation levels, homeowners with flood insurance can apply for Increased Cost of Compliance funding, which can provide up to $30,000. Homeowners who suffered flooding from Sandy and don’t have flood insurance aren’t eligible, unfortunately, Bill McDonnell, FEMA’s deputy branch manager for hazard mitigation said. Homeowners can still apply for low-interest loans from the Small Business Administration.
“It’s something you can do, now, that hopefully will offset some of the future costs,” he said.
Official use of ABFEs depends on the town. McDonnell said it's possible that municipalities included in the report could adopt the elevation standards through a new ordinance, though the ABFEs is still just an advisory document.
Should municipalities adopt the standards, McDonnell said it would allow communities and citizens to take ownership by better understanding the risk and taking effective action to prevent future disaster.
What we want are our Politicians to change; 1) A thorough re-evaluation of the flood zones, in a timely fashion. 2) Evaluating if we raise the dunes a few feet if it will significantly reduce all our flood levels and insurance premiums. 3) Getting quick answers as to who gets the mitigation grants, when they get the grant and for how much. 4) Creative ways to lower our flood insurance premiums 5) Grace period of a few years before the rise in flood insurance premiums 6) FEMA to notify all homeowners of the impending new flood insurance rates and elevation requirements What we want from all Flood Insurance homeowners to do; 1) Copy and paste this email and send to your local, state, federal politicians and members of Press. 2) Form Coalition to protect our interests. 3) Spread the word to your neighbors George Kasimos www.facebook.com/StopFemaNow
http://holt.congressnewsletter.net/mail/util.cfm?gpiv=2100099122.42534.296&gen=1
News flash. Most voters have not found FEMA or their insurance companies very helpful. Most are finding FEMA and insurance the source of their financial ruin. But that's OK. You're good to puppies and kittens.
[Stop FEMA now | Facebook www.facebook.com/StopFemaNow facebook/StopFemaNow. Flood-elevation maps will destroy the Shore. www.app.com. Gov. Christie's adoption of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's ...]
The governor didn't create the new flood maps and the new V zones. Since your house did take water this time, don't you think it would be prudent to follow the FEMA advice and raise your house out of harm's way? Or do you think that if it happens again next year or ten years from now, we the taxpayers should foot the bill to repair your house again?
The garbage situation in our area was dictated to us by our town fathers. We have had to drag some unbelievably heavy, messy and dirty things to a mythical curb line because the large trucks used often were snow plows that weren't the best vehicles for the job. And some of the garbage even came to us from other neighborhoods and areas and other than four hours of work volunteered by a nearby community group, we have been out there picking up the stuff. I purchased a new wagon and large can and tongs and garbage bags so that I could become more efficient. And I haven't asked for or received a penny from anywhere or anyone. It's my job. We are all part of a community & if one of us is down or in pain, others try to step up to the plate. As to washing things off, you have no idea of the raw hands people have now. Some things were covered with spots of mold & they present a hazard not just to the homeowner but to the larger community because mold spores fly through the air. Try talking with people instead of judging them from your nice warm car.
In the 30 years that we have lived in Brick, not once had we flooded. Unbelievable as it may seem, we are not close to the ocean/canal/bay. Our mortgage company did not require/advise us to have flood insurance for the past 30 years. The storm SURGE caused a small creek that I did not even know was close to raise the water table and with nowhere else to flowed back through the water pipes into the sewers and flood the street and my front yard, driveway and side yard. We had 5 inches of salt water in garage and enclosed porch, it ruined our central air unit and lost one car as the undercarriage holds all the safety sensors (i.e.airbags, anti-lock brakes). Will we get flood insurance now...definitely! However, the cost on an annual policy could cost $24,000 to $31,000, can you afford that in today's economy. My home is a ranch on a slab and not a great candidate to raise or put on pilings. If the shoe was on the other foot, I wonder how you would feel. I say, Shame on you, for not understanding others plights.
If it had backed up through sewer lines, you would have been cleaning a lot more than brackish salt water out of your garage.
I didn't say that something like 40 Mule Team would clean everything. But if you go to whatever store to get something to clean furnature or to remove mold do you think they are going to recommend 40 Mule Team and/or bleach or something that sells for $36 a gallon?
I keep hearing this term "Black Water" but no one seems to define it. I know Blackwater is/was a private military contractor that worked in Iraq and other areas. Other than that, I would think black water would be found in murky, back water bayous in Lousiana.
for 1550 borough homes average for 25 years ... approx total sum of $1,562,500--- assuming no damages were paid out ... NOW DON'T YOU FEEL SORRY FOR THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ...
www.StopFemaNow.com www.Facebook.com/StopFemaNow
Of course your logic can also apply to auto insurance.
NGVD 29 stands for National Geode tic Vertical Datum of 1929. It is a system that has been us ed by surveyors and engineers for most of the 20 th Century. It has been th e basis for relating ground and flood elevations, but it has been replaced by the more- accurate North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/.../440%20BMM%20NGVD-NAVD.pdf
I thought you were super rich?