Mitigation Assistance Programs

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation is partnering with communities that have been impacted by severe repetitive flooding damage to elevate eligible residential properties, resulting in lower flood insurance premiums. Participating property owners may be eligible to receive a grant through the Mitigation Assistance Program that fully covers the cost of construction to mitigate their property and supplements the cost of dislocation during construction. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determines which residential properties are potentially eligible for mitigation assistance based on repetitive flooding incidents in the past and risk of significant damage in future flood events.

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

In response to Hurricane Ida, the Division is putting together an application to FEMA for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The program provides aid for critical mitigation measures to reduce the risk of loss of life and property from future disasters. Unlike Flood Mitigation Assistance (see below), HMGP is only authorized in areas that received a Presidential major disaster declaration for Hurricane Ida. The HMGP federal program will be administered by the Division under a program called the Ida Mitigation Assistance Program. 

The first step in participating in HMGP is to complete the Hurricane Ida registration survey. The survey is not an application for HMGP, but it will let the Division know that a person is interested in receiving assistance when it is available.

Flood Mitigation Assistance                  

The Division applied for funding from FEMA through its Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) initiative for home elevations in Fairfield Township, Essex County, and Lincoln Park, Morris County.

In February 2021, the Division received a $5 million grant award from FEMA to move forward with elevating homes in Fairfield Township as part of the Division’s Mitigation Assistance Program. The residential homes in the program have repeatedly sustained severe flood damage and/or are located within a Special Flood Hazard Area in Fairfield Township. The Division will begin work on these home elevations, which will include engineering and architectural plans, survey and elevation certifications before and after construction, and all pertinent work to elevate the residential home’s lowest floor three feet above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE).

The Division will continue applying to FEMA in future FMA application cycles for funding in other communities that are experiencing repetitive flooding.

Municipalities that are interested in learning more about the program and eligible property owners who have questions may email MitigationAssistance@dca.nj.gov or call (609) 292-3750.

 

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If people are interested in finding out more about their property and its relation to the flood zones, they can search their address on FEMA’s official flood maps. Access that webpage here. It is important to note that FEMA flood maps are continually updated through a variety of processes. Therefore, people may wish to review the supplemental documentation contained on FEMA’s Flood Maps webpage.

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