Mitigation Assistance Programs

**The Mitigation Assistance Program (MAP) is accepting applications from New Jersey homeowners who are in flood prone areas and would like to apply to elevate their home. If you are interested, CLICK on the button below to request an application. The application period will remain open and DCA will retain all applications to be considered if a program is developed in your area. Submitting an application is not a guarantee of funding, but an opportunity to show interest in home elevation.**

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 financial assistance to help cover the cost of construction to mitigate their property and supplement 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.

 

Flood Mitigation Assistance                  

The Division is in the process of applying for funding from FEMA through its Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) initiative for home elevations in New Jersey.

As part of the process, interested homeowners in New Jersey may request an application by clicking on the blue button at the top of this webpage and filling out a brief form. If basic eligibility criteria is met, a link to the online application will be emailed to the homeowner. There is currently no deadline date to submit applications.

The Division previously applied for FMA funding from FEMA in 2019 for home elevations in Fairfield Township, Essex County, and in 2020 for home elevations in Lincoln Park, Morris County.

The Division was successful with its applications and received funding from FEMA to move forward with elevating homes in both Fairfield Township and Lincoln Park 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. The Division has begun work on these home elevation projects, 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.

 

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

In response to Hurricane Ida, the Division applied to FEMA for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding and is awaiting a decision from FEMA. 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 program will be administered by the Division under a program called the Ida Mitigation Assistance Program. 

 

Swift Current

In 2022, FEMA obligated $10 million for flood resilience projects in New Jersey through its Flood Mitigation Assistance Swift Current initiative. Swift Current seeks to award flood mitigation dollars for repetitively and substantially flood damaged properties insured through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as quickly and equitably as possible after a disaster event. The State has allocated the $10 million in funding to assist homeowners impacted by flooding along the Passaic River basin in 2023 and 2024 in mitigating future flood damages. Financial assistance will be provided to property owners with a focus on elevating homes. Homeowners must have been insured through NFIP and have a history of repetitive or substantial damage from flooding. The Division is awaiting approvals from FEMA on the properties in New Jersey to receive assistance through Swift Current.

 

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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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