Sea Bright, Rumson and Fair Haven: Flood Maps Could Change for Mainland

During a Friday conference call discussing the National Flood Insurance Program, talk shifted to FEMA's flood maps and the potential for change in New Jersey.

The impetus behind releasing its advisory flood maps soon after Hurricane Sandy was simply to aid in the state's disaster recovery, a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) risk analyst said Friday, noting that they still remain subject to change prior to their official adoption into the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Discussion about the NFIP as well as the Advisory Base Flood Elevation maps was made during a FEMA conference call late Friday morning and seemed to conflict with Gov. Chris Christie's hurried effort to see the maps adopted as New Jersey's new standard.  Doug Bellomo, director of FEMA's Risk Analysis Division, said the agency used the best available scientific data to develop the maps, and while he's confident …

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Hurricane Sandy

Days After Predicting Changes, Christie Administration Supports FEMA Standards

The action comes nearly a week after the governor predicted FEMA will scale back tough new flood maps it issued last December.

The Christie administration has taken another step toward supporting new statewide elevation standards based on Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps. On Monday, the administration filed with the Office of Administrative Law an adoption package supporting the standards. The action comes nearly a week after Christie predicted FEMA will scale back tough new flood maps it issued last December.   Those maps place a large amount of properties in flood zones, and require many structures to be elevated if their owners don't want to see flood insurance rates spike. The initial FEMA flood maps, which could create thousands more in insurance premiums and have residents raising their houses feet off the ground, are "too aggressive," said Gov…

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FEMA Flood Maps Protested by Public

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection held a local public hearing. What do the new standards mean to you? Tell us.

A huge crowd of people from all over the state gathered at a Thursday night NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) public hearing in Long Branch to protest the potential adoption of FEMA's advisory base flood elevation (ABFE) maps as the new elevation standard for the the state. The crowd, mostly comprised of unhappy homeowners impacted by Hurricane Sandy, sounded off at Long Branch City Hall on the contentious issue. "The thought of increasing flood insurance premiums into the tens of thousands of dollars is daunting," Toms River resident Margaret Quinn said. Quinn lives in the Silverton section of Toms River, and said her house was more than 50 percent damaged. She, like so many others, has been displaced by the hurricane, and…

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Gearing Up for a FEMA Flood Map Fight

A grassroots organization opposed to FEMA's new flood maps is hoping to make some changes.

The same complaints George Kasimos has shared with his neighbors across the street he’s seen posted online, questions and concerns futilely written in emails and posted on message boards and social media sites, left unanswered. Shore area residents are angry, they’re frustrated, and they want to know what’s next. There’s a movement brewing, but what it lacks is direction. Like many residents of the Rumson and Sea Bright area as well as the rest of the Jersey Shore, Kasimos is facing an uncertain future following Hurricane Sandy, one that’s especially clouded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s new flood elevation maps. He wants to fight the maps, knows he’s not alone. But if residents are to stand a chance, they need to be …

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Hurricane Sandy

Christie Stands Firm on FEMA Flood Maps

Christie decision to adopt FEMA's advisory flood maps will have a dramatic impact on coastal towns, but he's not backing down.

Gov. Chris Christie is adamant about his decision to adopt the Federal Emergency Management’s (FEMA) advisory flood maps. And while that decision will have a significant, and costly, impact on many of New Jersey’s shore towns, it’s a necessary step to ensure their survival, he said. Speaking at a mobile cabinet meeting in Union Beach nearly two weeks after announcing his decision to rebuild using the advisory flood maps as a guide, Christie said it was a difficult choice, but one he had to make. Even amidst opposition as shore towns and residents voice their objections to the maps and their expanded flood-prone A and V Zones, Christie’s not backing down. Whether towns and residents rebuild smarter and higher, or face the risk and high cost…

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Christie on Delays in Sandy Aid: 'Please Be Patient'

Plans are being formulated at the state level for how to spend Hurricane Sandy relief aid, but the money hasn't come in yet.

The state is developing plans for how and where to best allocate Hurricane Sandy relief aid, writing proposals for putting together lists for its various relevant agencies, from Housing and Urban Development to the Department of Transportation. The money will come, Gov. Chris Christie told a crowd in Union Beach Tuesday, and it will be used to rebuild New Jersey and get residents back into their hurricane-ravaged homes. Be patient, he said. The check hasn't been written yet. Christie joined other local legislators in celebration after a $50.7 billion hurricane relief bill passed in a contentious U.S. House of Representatives in January before heading off to the U.S. Senate for approval and finally to President Barack Obama’s desk for a …

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