A Multi-Jurisdictional Flood Mitigation Plan for the Non-Tidal N.J. Section of the Delaware River Basin

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should Your Municipality Participate?
Who Formed this Planning Initiative?
What will this Plan Accomplish?
What Mitigation Actions can be Listed in the Plan?
Is this Plan Required to Obtain Disaster Mitigation Funding?
What Help will be Provided to Municipalities?
What does My Municipality Need to Do?
How can I get More Information?
Contact County Project Leads

Why should Your Municipality Participate?

This is a unique opportunity to participate in a planning initiative partnership that will:

• Evaluate your community’s flood hazard and risk;
• Determine your mitigation needs and capabilities;
• Examine regional and local mitigation solutions;
• Enable your community to develop a prioritized list of desired local flood mitigation actions;
• Make your community eligible to receive flood mitigation funds through FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance program; and
• Comprise a large component of the required All Hazards Mitigation Plan.

Who Formed this Planning Initiative?

The partnership that has been formed includes your county emergency management and planning departments, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and, and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM).  We formed this partnership because we understand that the recent floods along the Delaware have strained the already limited resources of many municipalities in the region.  The purpose of this initiative is to combine the resources of the state and county agencies to assist the local municipalities in completing the planning process. 

What will this Plan Accomplish?

There is no one set of mitigation measures that will stop flooding along the Delaware.  It is only through a combination of local and regional measures that resiliency to flooding in the basin will be improved.  While completion of this plan will meet both a local and regional need, the purpose of the flood mitigation plan is to enable municipalities in the plan area to become better situated to compete for funding to implement local mitigation actions.  The goal is to help local communities become more sustainable so that if and when they are faced by another disaster, they will sustain fewer losses and recover more quickly. 

What Mitigation Actions can be Listed in the Plan?

A prioritized list of local flood mitigation actions developed by your municipality may include actions such as:

• Acquisition and elevation programs;
• Stormwater improvements;
• Structural projects;
• Flood preparedness/warning;
• Strengthening of local floodplain or other regulations; and
• Public information/community outreach.

More guidance on the types of actions that can be included in the plan will be given as the planning process moves forward.

Is this Plan Required to Obtain Disaster Mitigation Funding? 

Yes.  The federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires municipalities nationwide to prepare a flood and/or all hazards mitigation plan in order to qualify for future pre- and post-disaster mitigation funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  Without a flood and/or all hazards mitigation plan in place, your municipality is not eligible for future pre- or post-disaster mitigation funds. 

If your municipality actively participates in this upcoming regional flood mitigation planning initiative, you will be eligible for cost-shared federal funds made available through FEMA’s flood mitigation assistance program.  In addition, the development of this regional flood mitigation plan is an important and significant step towards completion of an all hazards mitigation plan.  Furthermore, both the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have indicated that they intend to review the regional flood mitigation plan once it is finalized and may use it in choosing the projects to evaluate for their upcoming feasibility study. 

What Help will be Provided to Municipalities?

The purpose of this initiative is to combine the resources of the state and county agencies to assist the local municipalities in completing the planning process.  FEMA requires certain components, one being a vulnerability analysis, to be included in the plan.  It is often difficult for municipalities to accomplish such an analysis on their own.  Instead, we plan to use the resources of state agencies, along with county and municipal input, to complete such required items.  A list of products and/or services to be provided under this initiative includes:

• Flood hazard identification and vulnerability assessment (HAZUS)
• GIS Analysis of flood insurance claims and repetitive loss properties
• Historic flood damage costs by county and municipal damage areas
• Basin-scale mitigation strategies and priorities
• Compendium of local mitigation strategies
• DRBC Flood Mitigation Web Site to disseminate products and planning tools
• Facilitation of two meetings per county with municipalities 
• Planning Workshops with local liaisons
• Draft/Compile Final Plan

What does My Municipality Need to Do?

Active participation by municipalities is required by FEMA in order for the jurisdiction to be eligible to adopt the multi-jurisdictional Flood Mitigation Plan.  In addition, participation by municipalities in the planning process is crucial for the successful development of a Flood Mitigation Plan that contains mitigation actions able to be implemented in the future.  Active participation includes the following:  

• Attendance at County Meetings and the Planning Workshop
• Formation of a local flood mitigation planning team
• Documenting the local planning process
• Complete questionnaires identifying critical facilities and flood prone areas
• Publish notice of the municipality’s intent to prepare a Flood Mitigation Plan to encourage public participation
• Distribute a questionnaire to residents known to be in the flood prone areas
• Allow time for comment at two public meetings
• Collect questionnaires and summarize public comments
• Compose a list of community goals and desired local mitigation actions (include estimated costs, organization responsible for implementation, implementation schedule, overall priority and potential funding sources)

How can I get More Information?

Please contact your municipal officials or your county emergency management or planning divisions.  In addition, you can contact Laura Tessieri, DRBC, at njfloodmit@drbc.state.nj.us or (609) 883-9500 ext 304. 

Below are the County Project Leads:

Hunterdon County
William J. Powell, County Emergency Management Coordinator
bpowell@co.hunterdon.nj.us
(908) 788-1196

Mercer County
Bob Hartman, County Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Management
rhartman@mercercounty.org
(609) 799-8868

Sussex County
Skip Danielson, Director Emergency Services 
edanielson@sussexcountysheriff.com
(973) 579-0380

Warren County
Frank E. Wheatley, County Emergency Management Coordinator
fwheatley@co.warren.nj.us
(908) 835 -2051