Important Notice to Homeowners Regarding FEMA Hazard Mitigation Program Assistance

On Monday 1/7/12, Township representatives attended a briefing session conducted by FEMA concerning the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Program. The information shown below pertaining to this program is directly from the FEMA website. The Township will be submitting a Letter of Intent to Ocean County by 2/8/13, as required by FEMA advising the County, State Office of Emergency Management, and FEMA, of the Township’s intention to participate in the program. If homeowners wish to participate in the program, they are advised to complete the form on the township web page and include ALL of the required information by 2/5/13. Once complete and accepted, the form will be automatically sent to the appropriate program managers and homeowners will receive a confirmatory email with contact information in it. Prior to completing the form, homeowners need to be aware of the following:

This is a “competitive” program and funds for the entire program will be limited to a statewide maximum amount which has not yet been determined. No criteria has been established thus far to determine funding priorities either. There is no individual maximum amount you can apply for; however, the reality is that funding will be limited for the program and it is likely that a large percentage of residents will not be able to receive funding once the funds run out statewide.

In spite of that fact, we are urging all interested homeowners to apply.

For homeowners considering raising their homes, FEMA has advised that, in order to qualify, you would have to raise your home to the base flood elevation (BFE) shown in the FEMA “Advisory” Base Flood Elevation maps issued in December of 2013, regardless of whether those elevations ultimately change or not if the maps are revised.

Under the current FEMA guidelines, funds are NOT available for demolition/rebuilding of homes.

Under the current FEMA guidelines, property owners are NOT eligible for reimbursement for work already performed. Approval must be granted in advance of any construction.

Under the program guidelines, grants are limited to 75% and homeowners will be responsible for a 25% match. You are eligible to apply for funding even if you received assistance under the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program and funds received under the ICC program CAN be used as part of the required match.

Assistance under this program is NOT limited to your primary residence.

FEMA has not set a definitive timeframe for the program. All that is known thus far is that the Township must submit a Letter of Intent by February 8, 2013, to the Ocean County Office of Emergency Management and that information will, in turn, be submitted to the State Office of Emergency Management for formal submittal to FEMA. Based on what we have been told, it is likely that it will be 6 months before funds are available. The Township will update the schedule as it becomes known to us.

For more information, please see www.tomsrivertownship.com in the Hurricane Sandy Information Section on the upper left hand side of the page. Click on Hazard Mitigation Program.