The Courier - May 22, 2008

FLOOD MAP FALLOUT

FEMA responded to Bayshore: 'Nothing's perfect'
FEMA officials commented on flood map implementation process

By MELISSA L. GAFFNEY
Staff Writer

    The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), seemingly absent from the flood map fallout issue, recently spoke out regarding the new Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and their implementation in the Bayshore.
    The director for the FEMA Region II Mitigation Division, Michael Dabney, said the U.S. Congress mandated the five-year, $1 billion project in 2003 requiring the agency to remap the country.
    The program, mandated through the National Flood Insurance Bill, received funding in 2004. "[FEMA's job] was to cover at least 92 percent of the population," Dabney explained. "[The agency was told] to prioritize mapping for communities with an abundance of residents."
    He said New Jersey, being the most densely populated state in the nation, was one of FEMA's priorities.
    Dabney said the program was meant to update the FIRMs using the most advanced technology, hydraulics and hydrology.
    FEMA Region II Senior Engineer Paul Weberg said the agency used the latest technology available for producing maps, orthoimagary, which is a form of LIDAR Technology.
    Weberg said the remapping process involved taking new aerial photography, which showed the latest configurations of streets and homes in the country.
    He said these photographs are usually obtained from the New Jersey Office of Information Technology (0lT).
    Weberg said the photographs were provided to an outside party, Medina Consultants, Hackettstown, which then completed the actual study. "[Medina completed] a flooding analysis based on the mapping," he said:
    Dabney said the preliminary maps for Monmouth County were presented in January. "[FEMA] conducted three of what are called 'Community Coordinating Officer' meetings," he said. "We typically do one, but the agency decided to do more because of the magnitude of the maps and because [the maps] are countywide."
    Bill Douglass, of FEMA's External Affairs Office, said there were meetings held in Middletown and Hazlet, respectively.
    FEMA External Affairs Specialist Barbara Lynch said the agency would host an outreach open house during mid-June, but that a date has not yet been confirmed.
    Dabney said the FEMA Open House would be about eight hours long and include two formal presentations. "[The presentations] will be followed by individual discussions on a resident-to-resident basis," he explained. "[A FEMA representative] will see what [the residents'] concerns are, one-an-one."
    While FEMA representatives plan on attending other meetings before the open house, Dabney said Hazlet would probably be the largest venue the agency would be attending before the date in mid-June. "Other meetings will be closed, one-on-one working meetings with the communities," he said.

Appealing the process

    Dabney said the primary purpose of the new maps is to identify the risk of flooding, as it exists. "[FEMA] wants residents to know their risk and be able to take steps to mitigate that risk," he said.
    Weberg said the maps' 90-day appeals process would be open to the public on or around June 15. "[The appeals process] is open up to everyone and anyone," he said. "Both the general public and officials."
    Weberg said any homeowner, official, group or person having anything they feel FEMA has overlooked can present it. "[FEMA] will be glad to look at [any other information], review it and comment on it," he said.
    Weberg said the appeals period cannot end until such time as any and all appeals are answered and resolved. He said, legally, this could take anywhere from six months to a year.
    As for purchasing flood insurance, Weberg said FEMA has not told residents to purchase flood insurance based on the preliminary FIRMs: "It's still going to be at least a year before the maps would be effective," he said.
    However, Weberg said an advantage to' purchasing flood insurance now would be to receive a "pre-FIRM, grandfathered rate," which would be much cheaper.
    Weberg said the flood map appeals process is open to the public for 90 days to make sure the contractor "did its homework" and if any appeals warrant investigation. "Nothing's perfect," Weberg said.

Petition or intermission?

    Douglass said he knew legislation by Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., might be introduced proposing to "halt" the implementation of the maps. He also said he heard about Assemblywoman Amy Handlin, R-Monmouth/Middlesex, and her petition to FEMA.
    "I know, generally speaking, [Handlin] felt she was inimical to FEMA's role in the distribution of the maps and related items," he said.
    Weberg said a petition is something for the record. "Obviously [FEMA] respects and honors a petition," he said. "But, at the same time, it doesn't really warrant an appeal."
    He said the agency needs more technical information. "Anybody can say, 'We never got flooded: " Weberg said. "But why? [FEMA] needs something to back it up."
    Dabney said that, in terms of protesting or appealing the maps, a petition is good to bring forth public concerns, but sound engineering and technical data is required to actually delay or revise the maps. "It's more important the community knows its risk rather than be saddled with maps that are decades old:' he said.

Legislative efforts

    Dabney said that, while FEMA is waiting for confirmation on both a date and a location for the open house, the agency has met with congressional staff from respective representatives and the two senators to try and explain the agency's outreach efforts. "I think we've satisfied most of their questions and needs," he said.
    Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said it is crucial residents are kept informed about the impact on their community. "New Jerseyans across the state will be affected by FEMA's updated flood maps," Lautenberg said. "The federal government is not doing enough to communicate these changes to our residents. That's why the Senate recently passed the amendment I cosponsored with Sen. [Robert] Menendez to require FEMA to do a better job showing property owners how these flood maps changes will affect their homes, communities and insurance rates."
    Pallone said his legislation, which would place a moratorium on FEMA's flood map implementation process, would be introduced within the next few weeks. "[The process] takes time," he said. "My hope was that FEMA would institute a moratorium on its own."
    The congressman said it was good residents voiced their opinions at the Hazlet town meeting to FEMA representatives, but that there is still a relevant disconnect between the agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
    "I still believe very strongly that the existing dunes in Keansburg do protect from a storm," Pallone said. "FEMA keeps telling me that, even if we had some major project increasing the height of the dune or something of that nature the agency is still not likely to change its mind because FEMA's criteria is very different from the Army Corps."
    Pallone said the situation is frustrating because no one is getting meaningful answers from FEMA. "The more meetings we have [with FEMA], the more opportunities we have to ask, 'What are you doing, why are you doing it and what changes can we make that would make a difference?' "
    The congressman said he would be attending the FEMA open house in the Bayshore on or around June 13.