New maps reduce high-risk areas at Shore

Updated preliminary flood maps issued Monday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency drastically reduce the area included in high-risk flood zones in three New Jersey Shore counties and one northern county - a move that has some homeowners sighing in relief.

"This is wonderful news. . . . I can breathe a little easier now," said Brigantine resident Laurel Haeser, whose property overlooking a golf course had previously been included in the so-called V zone, or High Risk Velocity. That was according to the Advisory Base Flood Elevation Map issued by FEMA soon after Hurricane Sandy roared along the New Jersey coast Oct. 29.

The new preliminary maps for Atlantic, Ocean, Monmouth, and Hudson Counties reflect a more precise modeling analysis of current hazards, including wave analysis and other specific coastal conditions that could affect flood risk, according to a FEMA statement.

Maps for Cape May and Cumberland Counties and other areas affected by Sandy should be released this summer, said Christopher McKniff, a FEMA spokesman.

The new maps are part of a continuing process leading to the final Flood Insurance Rate Maps, McKniff said.

Like Haeser, many Shore residents were concerned that FEMA would require that wholesale sections of the coast - particularly barrier islands - undergo the expensive, and sometimes difficult, renovation process of placing homes and other structures on pilings to mitigate damage from waves higher than three feet.

In towns such as Brigantine and Ventnor, that meant thousands of homes might have been required to be elevated - an effort that, despite grants and loans being provided by the government, would have been cost-prohibitive for many residents. Estimates vary widely depending on the size of the house, but officials said work on a multistory, three-bedroom home could run in excess of $100,000.

In Atlantic County, the new maps removed about 80 percent of the area previously tagged in the V zone. In Ocean and Monmouth Counties, about 45 percent of the V zones in each county were removed from the previous maps.

That was good news for officials such as Ventnor Mayor Michael Bagnell, who noted that 1,000 homes in his town had previously been included in the V zone. The new maps show none of the town's 3.5 square miles included, he said.

"This is the best news that Ventnor has received since before Sandy hit," Bagnell said. "It's a dramatic difference. . . . Now thousands of people who have been in limbo since the storm can move on with their lives."

Bagnell said dealings over the last six months between FEMA and the Coastal Coalition - a group consisting of representatives from the Shore towns in Atlantic and Cape May Counties and southern Ocean County to lobby against the previous maps - became contentious at times. The coalition enlisted the aid of Stewart Farrell, director and founder of the Coastal Research Center at Richard Stockton College. Farrell presented his findings to FEMA about flood elevations and storm surge along the state's 127-mile coastline, which differed from the federal assessments.

Officials agreed that while the recent increase of severe weather patterns warranted a revision of 30-year-old maps the federal agency had been using, placing some of the properties within the V zone unnecessarily could have caused extreme financial hardships for thousands of New Jersey families.

"These maps take a more reasonable approach that will protect homeowners who are at the highest risk of flooding and storm damage without causing financial ruin for those who are not in direct danger," said State Sen. James Whelan (D., Atlantic), noting that the maps issued by FEMA in November did not take into account protective shore infrastructure such as dunes and bulkheads.

Some environmental groups say the new maps don't do enough to protect coastal residents.

"Are the changes being done because of best available science, or is it political science?" questioned Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "Are the maps being changed because of political pressure being put on by elected officials because of the potential impacts of the previous maps?"

Tittel said the latest maps did not consider factors such as new Sandy data, sea level rise, and storm surge potential, and fail to use adaptation planning that would move further development away from the barrier islands.

Some residents say they are on the barrier islands to stay, but they aren't foolish.

"We've been here 40 years," said Brigantine's Haeser, a retiree along with her husband, Bill, who just moved back into her home last weekend for the first time since Sandy. "Even though we may be out of the V zone, we know we live on a barrier island, so we still want to raise our house . . . but on a block foundation, not pilings."