New flood insurance maps coming out Saturday [Asbury Park Press, N.J.]

Dec. 14--New flood elevation maps scheduled for release Saturday will show coastal New Jersey's flood risk is greater than previously thought, officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.

"The risk profile in coastal communities has gone up," Ryan Pietramali, chief of FEMA's Risk Analysis Branch, said Friday. Pietramali said the maps will show potential water could rise one to five feet higher in most flood zones than was shown in previous flood elevation maps that are 20 to 30 years old.

The maps will be available after 7 a.m. Saturday by clicking on the "Sandy" tab at www.region2coastal.com. They have been eagerly awaited by both property owners and local officials looking for guidance in rebuilding homes and businesses badly damaged by Sandy's storm surge.

"These maps are going to be the first major step in the rebuilding process for individuals and businesses and municipalities," Middletown Township Attorney Brian M. Nelson said. "For people who are fortunate enough to be able to rebuild, it's going to affect their flood insurance costs. There are going to be some very difficult decisions to make for government entities, individuals and businesses."

Maps to be released cover 10 counties: Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Cape May, Essex, Hudson and Union.

The preliminary maps are intended to guide property owners and municipalities through the rebuilding process following superstorm Sandy, according to Bill McDonnell, FEMA's deputy hazard mitigation branch director.

McDonnell said the maps are meant to help people are in coastal communities rebuild "safer and smarter" so that they construct homes and businesses that are more resilient and resistant to future storms.

The maps, which have been in the planning process for two years, do not include data from Sandy, as they were completed before the storm struck New Jersey on Oct. 29. They also do not yet affect flood insurance premiums.

Official maps that will determine those premiums will be released next year, Pietramali said. But he said that homeowners looking to rebuild their properties would be wise to consult the new flood elevation maps first.

"If you develop at these higher elevations, you are going to save money on flood insurance," Pietramali said. "It's important as we move forward that people know their risk." Homeowners who choose to rebuild without meeting the new flood elevations could see their flood insurance premiums soar.

Flood insurance premiums are already set to rise 20 percent in January. The average premium in the nation is $600, but double or more in often-flooded areas. The new law seeks to make the troubled flood insurance program solvent by increasing premiums, and gradually ending some subsidies, including those for second homes.

He said property owners who own land in "V" zones, or high hazard zones where homes or businesses could be hit by waves during storms, should consider rebuilding on pilings or piers that elevate the structures.

FEMA will provide up to $30,000 for mitigation work on homes damaged by Sandy, McDonnell said. That money can be used for mitigation efforts like elevating a structure or moving it back away from the coastline. The money is only available to those with flood insurance.

Middletown Attorney Nelson noted that many residents who lived in the township's hard-hit Bayshore areas, like Port Monmouth and Belford, may not have had flood insurance, since their homes may no longer have had mortgages. Those people may have difficulty rebuilding or retrofitting homes to meet new flood standards, he said.

McDonnell said that for those without flood insurance, federal Small Business Administration loans are available to help with retrofitting costs.

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