Dunellen New Jersey

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OPEN HOUSE
Duenllen Senior Center
Columbia Park

Thursday, April 16, 2009
2:00pm to 8:00pm

New FEMA Flood Control Maps
http://rmc.mapmodteam.com/RMC2/Counties_Middlesex.htm

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) will be available to answer questions about the county’s new flood maps, and their implications for flood insurance premiums. There will be no formal presentation. The conversational, Open House format will allow residents to get answers specific to their property and situation.

Middlesex’s new, preliminary flood maps will reduce the number of structures in the county’s floodplain by 25%, officials say, noting that only seven municipalities will see an increase in the number of structures in a floodplain on the new map. The seven municipalities that will have a net number of structures added to the Special Flood Hazard Area (SHFA) are: Carteret, Dunellen, Jamesburg, Metuchen, South Plainfield, New Brunswick and Perth Amboy.

In general, the new, preliminary county flood map redraws the flood plain itself, removing some structures while adding others in most towns. Although the overall number of structures has been reduced from 4,732 on the current map to

3,568 on the new map -- accounting for the 25% net reduction -- residents are encouraged to check the status of their property at their municipal offices, or online at: http://rmc.mapmodteam.com/rmc2/MiddlesexNJ/

The new flood maps are part of a national, $1 billion initiative to update the country’s flood maps for 92% of the population. The digital technology allows for simultaneous layers of data, providing residents and local and state government the ability to more accurately assess a property’s risk for flooding.

Middlesex County’s new digital maps were released on September 30, 2008 and are preliminary in nature. There is a 90 day appeal period before the maps can be finalized. The appeal period will begin in mid April, exact date to be announced.

“The new maps use an aerial, digital format, making it easy to see roads and buildings in relations to flood risk zones,” said Mike Dabney, Division Director for Flood Insurance and Mitigation for FEMA, Region II, which includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. “This should make it easier for people to identify their flood risk and to take steps to minimize those risks.”

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.