Flood-Weary New Jersey Families Told Home Elevation Aid Will Not Move Forward
The long-awaited plans to raise dozens of flood-prone New Jersey homeowners’ homes above predicted flood levels will not proceed, leaving 69 people unclear about how to preserve their properties before the next major storm season.
Amanda Monterroso of Manville thought relief was coming last year. After surviving Hurricane Ida floods in 2021, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation informed her family that their property was a priority for elevation help. Elevation funds gave families like hers hope after they lost more than $50,000 in storm damage and fear every time severe weather is expected.
Hope faded in January. The state informed impacted households that MAP projects would not proceed. State authorities said amended federal cost regulations disqualified the planned elevations from FEMA funds.
FEMA funds the state-run MAP program. New Jersey officials wrote to residents saying engineering assessments showed building expenses exceeded FEMA’s fixed cost allowances. Construction estimates for qualifying properties averaged 148% higher than the federal grant, or $141,937 more. The state claimed it could not proceed with preliminary awards.
FEMA said NJ.com that New Jersey did not submit a formal request to raise Manville homes before assessing eligibility. The agency would not speculate on why the residences were ineligible. State authorities said that FEMA cost formulae and policy revisions disqualified the projects from applying.
The scenario has confused and frustrated residents and municipal politicians. Amanda Devecka-Rinear, founding director of the New Jersey Organizing Project, said families feel another kind of assistance has been withdrawn after being promised it. Many homeowners had been rejected state-supported buyouts or had trouble selling flood-prone properties.
Local officials said more than 20 Manville people applied for MAP, but only seven houses were officially affected. The 69 affected residences are in Cranford, Little Falls, Pompton Lakes, Lincoln Park Borough, Fairfield, Bridgewater Township, North Plainfield, Somerville, Readington Township, Hopewell, Princeton, Rochelle Park, and Manville.
Ida dumped 10 inches of rain on Manville, an 11,000-person municipality, while the Raritan River overflowed. The state began granting buyouts instead of elevations in high-risk flood zones in recent years. Despite that change, advocates argued FEMA-funded elevations were still possible.
FEMA hazard mitigation programs must meet cost-effectiveness standards, including benefit-cost analysis. The pre-calculated benefit-cost threshold for some FEMA hazard mitigation projects is $286,000 per residence. Projects may be denied funding if construction costs exceed federal restrictions without meeting ratios.
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs recognized homeowners’ frustration but said it is not abandoning affected families and that other mitigation alternatives may become available.
Residents like Monterroso have few options after the setback. She says her family feels trapped after being denied a buyout and elevation aid. Flood-prone central and northern New Jersey is bracing for another hurricane season and severe rainfall.
Disaster recovery funding is difficult, especially when federal and state cost policies change. Families recovering from Ida and preparing for future storms must figure out how to protect their homes and wallets without federal aid.
As New Jersey prepares for storms and climate-related floods, these 69 homes demonstrate the complex relationship between federal policy, state management, and local vulnerability. For homeowners waiting for safety that may not come, what aid will replace the canceled elevation plans before the next significant storm?
Sources:
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
NJ.com reporting on Mitigation Assistance Program decisions
