TRENTON, NJ –  The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation today announced plans to invest $30 million in federal funding from the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to help homeowners in Hurricane Ida impacted areas elevate their homes to protect themselves from future flooding disasters. The $30 million investment in HMGP funding is the second phase of the Murphy Administration’s Ida Recovery Strategy which looks to utilize all available federal Ida disaster recovery funds to launch programs over the coming months. 

In order to best maximize the funding for home elevations, DCA needs resident input. Therefore, homeowners in Hurricane Ida impacted areas are urged to complete a survey as soon as possible to help the Department direct HMGP funding in a strategic way.

The Huricane Ida survey is posted at
https://www.nj.gov/dca/ddrm/home/idasurvey.shtml
on the DCA website and is available in multiple languages. 

“Governor Murphy and I are proud to be investing resources into home elevations because they are a proven way to reduce people’s long-term risk of severe flooding and to promote more resilient communities,” said Acting Governor Sheila Oliver, who also serves as DCA Commissioner. “We encourage all homeowners in Ida impacted areas to please fill out the survey posted on the DCA website without delay. It will tremendously help our Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation determine where to distribute the federal funding so we can reach the communities in greatest need of elevation assistance.”  

“This is great news for New Jersey residents who experienced significant flooding from Hurricane Ida or reside in areas regularly impacted by flooding events,” said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, State Director of Emergency Management. “Lessons learned from past disasters have taught us that input from our communities is vital to the rebuilding of more resilient neighborhoods. I urge New Jersey residents to complete the Hurricane Ida survey which will greatly assist in identifying homes in flood-prone areas to lessen future flood risk.” 

Today’s announcement builds on the $50 million investment in the Blue Acres Buyout Program that Governor Murphy announced in May of this year. The third phase of the Administration’s Ida Recovery Strategy includes the $228 million in federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding that was officially awarded to New Jersey on May 24, 2022. In order to access the $228 million in CDBG-DR funding, DCA must develop a Hurricane Ida Recovery Action Plan. The Department is working on the Action Plan and will submit it to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) no later than September 28, 2022, for review and approval. 

DCA’s Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation is working in partnership with the Governor’s Disaster Recovery Office, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management on Hurricane Ida recovery efforts. The Division has years of experience overseeing housing recovery and mitigation efforts; coordinating natural disaster response with governmental partners including FEMA; and elevating thousands of homes. 

Elevation is one of many mitigation methods that helps homeowners reduce and sometimes avoid major flood risks. This process generally involves physical raising an existing structure above base flood elevation level on piles, posts, or piers and using a number of different methods to ensure that the structure is properly anchored once raised.  

The HMGP program does not address immediate recovery needs right after a disaster strikes. Instead, this program provides homeowners with funds to prevent or reduce damage from future disasters through mitigation measures such as elevation in order to lessen the risk of loss of life, property loss, and displacement. Elevations may also lower flood insurance premiums for those with flood insurance coverage. Importantly, individual homeowners cannot apply directly to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for HMGP funding. Rather, the State develops the HMGP proposal.  

The Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation will select properties to participate in the HMGP program and plans to submit them to FEMA for approval this fall. HMGP mitigation work could begin in 2023.  

The HMGP program is in line with the Division’s Mitigation Assistance Program, a new program that helps residential property owners in flood prone communities elevate their homes to better withstand future flooding disasters. The Mitigation Assistance Program (MAP) is starting first in Fairfield Township, Essex County, with the help of a $5 million grant from FEMA. The Division is working with the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management to expand the MAP program to other repetitive flooding communities around the state as future FEMA grant funding allows. 

DCA’s Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation promotes the long-term resilience of New Jersey’s communities by supporting initiatives to fortify housing, businesses, and infrastructure against severe weather events and flooding damage. The Division is also the grant manager for the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund and the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, which were allocated to New Jersey through the American Rescue Plan Act to help address the COVID-19 public health emergency and its effects on the economy.

DCA offers a wide range of programs and services, including energy assistance, housing vouchers, affordable housing production, fire and building safety, community planning and development, local government management and finance, and disaster recovery and mitigation.

For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media: