Flood Mitigation Program Coming To Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Property owners who are looking to elevate their homes in the wake of Superstorm Sandy are encouraged to attend any of three public meetings that have been scheduled for next week on the possible availability of grant funding.

The meetings will be held at Town Hall, 33 Washington St., on Monday, Aug. 21 at 6 p.m.; Tuesday, Aug. 22 at 10 a.m., and Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 6 p.m.

The funding is anticipated to be available incrementally over the next several years, township officials said. It is anticipated to come through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Flood Mitigation Assistance program.

The FMA program provides resources to assist communities in their efforts to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings that are insurable under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The FMA program was created in 1994 with the goal of reducing or eliminating claims under the NFIP. Consistent with the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, the FMA program focuses on mitigating repetitive-loss or severe repetitive-loss properties. The FMA program is funded through Congressional appropriation, is available nationwide, and is not tied to a particular disaster declaration.

RL and SRL properties are defined by the NFIP and FEMA, based on the number of claims made on the structure under the NFIP. For more information about these definitions, click here.

To assist with the application process, Toms River has contracted with Witt O’Brien’s, LLC, an emergency management consulting firm currently working with the township on its Sandy recovery. Witt O’Brien’s will conduct the meetings, "which are intended to provide interested property owners with information regarding program eligibility, an overview of the application process, the timeline of the program, and how the township’s program will work."

A home being elevated after Superstorm Sandy. Photo by Karen Wall