New Jerseyans Aided By Another $60 Million In Ida Recovery Strategy

By Morgan Sweeney | The Center Square contributor, The Center Square New Jersey

May 6, 2022

(The Center Square) – State programs developed to help New Jerseyans recover from the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Ida will be receiving $60 million in new investments, the governor announced this week.

The Blue Acres Buyout Program is slated for $50 million, and $10 million will go to aiding communities in need of stormwater cleanup and management.

Tropical Storm Ida landed in New Jersey in August 2021 and was one of the deadliest storms the state has seen, resulting in the loss of 29 lives and causing tornadoes and severe flooding throughout the state.

These programs, and others, are part of Gov. Phil Murphy’s Ida Recovery Strategy. The administration hopes to get ahead of some of the increased environmental threats from climate change, enabling New Jersey communities to successfully weather such storms instead of being in a constant state of repair, a release from the governor says.

Blue Acres is the first phase of Ida Recovery Strategy. Its funding comes in the form of two federal grants – $40 million as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s COVID-19 Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and $10 million in FEMA “Swift Current” funds.

Blue Acres is known for its buyout feature that enables the state to purchase flood-prone or storm-battered homes from New Jersey families at market value. Those families can then relocate to safer areas, and the state can demolish those homes and repurpose the land, either for New Jerseyans’ recreational use, storm preparedness, or both. It's this part of the program that will receive the $10 million in Swift Current funds.

“The Blue Acres Buyout Program will get families out of harm’s way while creating more storage for increasing flood waters that can have dual benefits for communities as new parklands or open space,” the release said.

The $40 million in HMGP funding can be used for any projects aligning with New Jersey’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.

In addition to the newly announced $60 million in federal funds, to date, FEMA has supplied nearly $250 million in direct aid to almost 45,000 New Jerseyans affected by Ida. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has also allocated $228 million in funding to the state through its Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program, funding that will become available upon greater assessment of need in the state.

Commissioner of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Shawn M. LaTourette said, “By expanding Blue Acres, right sizing our water infrastructure, strengthening flood standards, and improving our stormwater management, the Murphy administration will help our neighbors and businesses build stronger and more resilient.”

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